


Chasing Those Honey-Sweet Lips

by MisterBooty



Series: Honey Sweet Lips [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Kuroo Tetsurou, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Background Hinata/Kenma, Background Suga/Kageyama, Canon Compliant, Daichi has a sister, Dream Sex, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Loss of Virginity, Love Confessions, M/M, Masturbation, Matchmaker Suga, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mutual Pining, Omega Daichi Sawamura, Phone Sex, Pining, Platonic Daichi/Suga for like 4 paragraphs, Platonic Sex, Self Confidence Issues, Sex Toys, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Texting, Wet Dream, more tags to come, rivals to friends to lovers, slight angst, that should be a tag why isn't it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-09-18 04:03:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 33,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9367142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterBooty/pseuds/MisterBooty
Summary: Funny how your life can be completely turned on it's head with just a phone call, a look, and a hormone addled weekend of marathon sex. Not necessarily in that order. The story of how Sawamura Daichi and Kuroo Tetsurou found each other, pissed each other off, and found each other again.





	1. Revelation

Outside a warm breeze was blowing, people greeted each other in passing, and students were being let out for the day. All was calm, nothing to worry about but homework and what to make for dinner. Meanwhile, the Sawamura household had been thrown into chaos.

Daichi, despite all expectations, had just presented. As an omega. His parents were in a panic, while Daichi felt miserable and horny and overall mortified. Fortunately – or possibly unfortunately, given that Daichi will never live this down – Suga was there to help him through it.

Suga had helped him home from practice when Daichi's heat had first struck, and offered his assistance when he saw just how bad it was. There was no concern of Daichi being forcefully or accidentally mated due to Suga being a beta, so his offer was enthusiastically accepted by Daichi.

Three days later and both of them were cuddled inside Daichi's nest, barely conscious. Daichi squinted against the midday sun seeping through the blinds, grunting in annoyance. He was sticky and sweaty and didn't even want to think about the crusty stuff all over his thighs and abdomen. He felt Suga stir beside him, followed by a series of grunts and expletives.

Daichi smacked the mound of blankets until finally Suga shot up, attacking Daichi with a pillow. The two continued this for a few moments until exhaustion won out, and they collapsed once more into puddles of boneless goo.

“Suga. Suga, listen.” Daichi stage whispered.

Suga whined into a pillow, “Wha, Dai... I wanna sleep...”

“Did you just platonically take my virginity?”

Finally pulling his head out of where it was buried, Suga turned to Daichi. His face was slack with disbelief. A few seconds passed before his eyes scrunched up and his face turned red from effort. His attempts to hold in his laughter were in vain as a snort slipped out, causing a tidal-wave of giggles to follow. Suga's body shook with the force of his laughter as he clutched his stomach. He doubled over, tears leaking from his eyes as he broke down in sleep-deprivation induced hysteria.

Soon enough Daichi was joining in, albeit less forcefully – he was still sore, after all. “I'll take that as a yes?” Daichi gasped out between giggles.

“Yes, I-” More laughter, “I guess I did. I'm guessing you're feeling better?” Suga snickered.

“I've never needed a bath more in my life, but I don't want to fuck everything that moves anymore, so I think I am.”

“Ugh, baths. I remember baths. They were nice, if I remember correctly.” Suga sighed melodramatically.

They continued on like that for hours before finally mustering up the strength to actually clean up and eat like functional human beings.

\----------

Daichi didn't know what he was expecting when he returned to school. Strange looks – probably. Everyone including himself assumed he would present as either alpha or beta. Not so hidden whispers – quite likely. It was extremely rare for an omega to present as late as he did, so of course it would be excellent gossip fodder. Lingering, heated looks and suggestive glances? Not what he would have expected.

He'd never really experienced being flirted with, never felt people desire him. Finally experiencing it for the first time; Daichi was a little flustered. As he walked through the halls he saw alphas, betas, and even a few omegas pause what they were doing to look him up and down. There was a glint in their eyes, a hidden heat in their expressions that made Daichi flush.

Maybe he still smelled like his heat? Daichi discreetly sniffed himself, but came up with nothing but his newfound omegan scent. It was subtle, not as strong as the heavy perfumes coming from the other omegas around him, so why did he feel like the whole world was staring at him?

Luckily he managed to make it through the day without incident. A little more interest was shown from his alpha classmates; people that had never given him a passing glance before were now going out of their way to talk to him, but nothing too weird happened. All that was left was to go to club.

Daichi trudged toward the clubroom, suddenly nervous about his teammates' reactions. He hadn't felt up to going that morning, but he knew he couldn't miss any more practice time. The team had just spent several days without their captain and vice-captain, who knew what trouble they'd gotten into.

Absorbed in his thoughts, Daichi nearly missed the telltale sounds of sneakers sprinting toward the clubroom. He had just a moment to collect himself before a fiery head of hair bounced into his field of vision, followed by Kageyama's angry shouts. Hinata bounced on his heels as he fired off question after question about Daichi's new scent. Daichi tried to follow what the excitable little omega was saying, but it was a lost cause. Hinata, however, didn't seem to see a problem and continued on until an irritated Kageyama came charging up to them.

“Hinata what the fuck?! That was cheating!” Kageyama yelled.

Hinata, effectively distracted from his tirade of questions, puffed out his chest and retorted, “No it wasn't! It was your own fault for being so clumsy!”

“You tripped me!”

“You just need better balance, Bakageyama!”

Daichi heaved out a sigh, entering the clubroom as they continued their feud. It was going to be a long day.

\-----------

After everyone got over their shock, practice carried on as always. The team didn't make much of a fuss about his status, which he should have expected. After all, Hinata, Ennoshita, Tsukishima and Kiyoko were all omegas, but no one ever treated them differently because of it.

Only one problem presented itself during the afternoon practice – the scents. Daichi, having never really smelled his teammates' scents before, was more than a little overwhelmed by the potent combination of alphas, betas, and omegas sweating and exerting themselves. His head swam for the entirety of practice and his brain felt foggy, but he tried to hide it from the team. It wouldn't do any good for them to think their captain couldn't handle himself.

Unfortunately, it seemed Daichi wasn't quite as good of an actor as he thought he was.

“Daichi-san.” Tsukishima approached Daichi after practice as he was leaving the gym.

“Ah, Tsukishima, did you need something?” Daichi hesitantly asked, dreading what the first year might say.

“No. I noticed you were distracted today. I thought I'd...” Tsukishima trailed off.

“You'd what?”

“It was too strong, right? The smells.” Tsukishima looked away as he said this, appearing uncomfortable. He glanced over when he got no response, and continued when he saw Daichi's stunned expression. “I also-” A cough. “Apparently it's a common occurrence. Being oversensitive to scents. There's, ah, a gel you can get at the pharmacy that dulls it. It's usually only necessary right before and after a heat.”

“Ah... thank you, Tsukishima, I'll have to look into that.”

Tsukishima, looking as awkward as Daichi felt, simply nodded wordlessly and walked off to find Yamaguchi.

Daichi paused, lost in thought. A warm, cinnamon aroma filled his senses, causing his eyes to water and his head to pound. He turned around and found Asahi jogging in his direction, the setting sun seemingly amplifying the savory scent emanating from him. As he got closer it bordered on overwhelming; Daichi made a mental note to stop by the pharmacy on his way home.

Asahi said something about walking him home, and being worried because of Daichi smelling stronger due to his heat. Daichi tried to listen, he did, but his head was as good as a marshmallow at the moment. Apparently, in his haze, he had told Asahi about going to the pharmacy, because without realizing it there they were. They bought what he needed, and hurried home.

Everything was a blur between then and later, when Daichi found himself in the bath. He vaguely remembered saying goodbye to Asahi, and eating dinner, but he couldn't recall what they'd said, or what he'd eaten. He sighed, sinking into the bath, and thought back on his day.

He thought of the alphas in his class – who suddenly seemed so keen to get to know him. He knew that logically, they were only interested because he was fresh meat in the dating pool, but he couldn't help but fantasize.

 _What would it be like, being with an alpha? Would he court me?_ _What would it feel like to be held... I want someone taller than me, strong enough to hold me down, or maybe even pick me up... Throw me over his shoulder..._

Daichi snorted at this. He was 176 cm and 70 kg of bulky muscle. He was stronger and faster than most of the alphas he knew, there was no way any of them could do that. Glancing down into the water, however, showed him just how much his body liked the idea.

“You've got to be kidding me...” Daichi mumbled as he submerged himself in the water.

\----------

With the scent ordeal taken care of, everything was going smoothly. Over the next two weeks his classmates had gotten bored with gossiping about him, and the incessant flirting had died down. Daichi almost missed it. Or he would, if he didn't have bigger things to worry about.

“Alright everyone, we've got to work hard if we don't want to completely embarrass ourselves during this training camp in Tokyo. You're going to be working harder than you ever have during it, so make sure you're well rested and have plenty of stamina.” Coach Ukai's voice boomed through the gym.

Glancing around him, Daichi held back a snort at the sheer amount of barely contained excitement coming from Hinata, Kageyama, Nishinoya, and Tanaka. He made eye contact with Suga, and they shared a look that said, 'I give it five minutes before he takes his shirt off.'

As coach Ukai wrapped up his speech, Daichi took over, instructing everyone to start warming up. Asahi and Suga made their way over to him with matching looks of concern on their faces.

“What's up?” Daichi asked.

Suga spoke up first, “Do you think you're going to be okay? Suddenly being surrounded by a bunch of unknown alphas.”

Daichi would have laughed it off, but the look of genuine concern they both had made him hesitate. “Why wouldn't I be? I mean, you aren't asking the other omegas this.”

This time, Asahi nervously chimed in with, “Yeah, but you're kind of new to being... you know. An omega. And you're the captain.”

“What does being the captain have to do with anything?” Daichi's irritation must have shown, because Asahi shuffled behind Suga as he stretched out his limbs.

“We're just worried that other teams might look down on you, or harass you or something. Because of your status.” Suga clarified.

Daichi sighed, “You two worry too much about me. I'll be fine, and it's not like I'll be alone with them. If all else fails I'll just send Asahi to beat them up.”

Daichi and Suga laughed at Asahi's look of pure terror before quickly joining the rest of the team. Daichi still thought they were worrying too much, but now that the idea was there, he couldn't seem to get it out of his head. He supposed he'd just have to wait until they arrived to know for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can talk to me @ raspbooby.tumblr.com


	2. Why me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something about the forbidden fruit of being desired; you taste it once and you keep coming back for more.

It had been an interesting experience getting everyone to Tokyo in one piece. Daichi could swear he'd aged ten years from the supplementary exams debacle and he wasn't even the one taking them. Suga, sensing Daichi's exhaustion, slid up to him and gave him a look.

“It'll be fine. Probably. As long as we keep Tanaka on a tight leash.” Suga teased.

“Yeah,” Daichi sighed, “Everything will be fine.”

\----------

Everything was not fine.

The instant people realized that _he_ of all people was an omega, he practically became a circus attraction. Luckily this only lasted for the first ten or so minutes before the novelty of it wore off, so that wasn't the problem. No, Kuroo Tetsurou was the problem.

Daichi and Kuroo had had something of a friendly rivalry going on between them since their first match together earlier in the year. Kuroo would tease Daichi, Daichi would snap a witty comeback at him, repeat. Now, however, Kuroo had stepped it up and decided to add obnoxious flirting to his repertoire.

“Sawamura!”

Speak of the devil.

“Can I help you, Kuroo?” Daichi sighed.

Kuroo smirked in that infuriating way of his. “I just wanted to wish you luck! There's some pretty tough teams here this year, wouldn't want my cute little crows to get left in the dust.”

“We can manage just fine, thank you very much. Your concern is touching, but I'm afraid you're wasting your breath.” Daichi drawled, squaring his shoulders and raising an eyebrow.

“I can think of something else that's 'touching'” Kuroo waggled his eyebrows, grinning.

Daichi spluttered, “That doesn't even make sense! What the hell?”

Kuroo cackled at Daichi's bewildered expression, snorting like the dork he is.

Yaku, having noticed Kuroo's absence, charged over to where the pair was standing and grabbed the alpha by his ear.

“Honestly, we can't leave you alone for five minutes without you getting into trouble! Stop harassing the other teams!” Yaku seethed as he dragged Kuroo back to their team.

Daichi turned back to the rest of Karusuno, ready to prep them for the long days ahead. In the background he could hear the voices of Nekoma, and further away the distinct war cries of Bokuto.

“Alright ev-” Daichi started.

“Ahh Yaku Yaku Ya- why do you need to pull so hard that's attached!”

Daichi cleared his throat. “ Okay, today-”

“Wow Yaku-senpai! I didn't think you could even reach that high- Ahh!”

Getting irritated, Daichi started again. “We have a long-”

“Hey Kuroo! Kuroo! You need to see this, get over here! Look what Akaashi can do!”

Fed up, Daichi rounded on the teams nearest them, shouting, “ _Shut! Up!_ Don't you all have something you should be doing!” The room went silent.

Satisfied, Daichi turned back to his now speechless team.

“Like I was _trying_ to say, this is going to be a long and grueling few days but we're going to make it through this, and come out a better and more unified team. I've prepared specific training sets based on each of our weaknesses, and I want everyone to focus on those outside of regular training, alright?”

The team nodded and agreed, with a few shouts mixed in. They were ready.

A moment later the coaches came in, announcing the set up for the practice matches that were going to happen that day. A whistle blew. They were ready.

\----------

Half of Karusuno was collapsed on the evening cooled grass, and the other half Daichi had to check for a pulse. They'd run up that hill so many times that Daichi was honestly concerned he was going to die. He glanced to the side and found Asahi sprawled on his back, looking like he was about to puke or cry or both.

Tanaka and Noya however, were easily perked up by the smell of food being served – and it seemed their excitement was infectious. One by one members were peeling themselves off the ground and slowly hobbling toward the source of the smells.

The last ones left were Suga, Asahi, Daichi, and oddly enough Kageyama.

“I don't think Asahi can walk on his own right now, so I'm going to help him get some food. Do you want to come with or should I bring you something?” Suga asked as he stood up.

“I'm fine, you go ahead and I'll meet you later.”

“Alright, if you're sure,” Suga paused and turned to Kageyama, “I don't think I can lift him myself, could you help me?”

“Yes! I mean- yes, I'll help.” Kageyama replied enthusiastically.

Suga grinned, and together the two managed to half drag Asahi's limp body toward the food.

Daichi smiled to himself after they were gone. The cool evening breeze felt amazing as it chilled his sweaty body and brushed through his hair. The sun was almost set, casting long shadows on the ground around him, and the air was quiet. Peaceful. Daichi could almost fall asleep like this.

Apparently he nearly did, as footsteps approaching jolted him awake. The second thing he noticed was a subtle scent of pine and mint. He swung around, searching for the potential threat, only to stop short when he recognized the person in front of him.

“Kuroo.”

“Yep, that's me! Glad to know you haven't forgotten me.” Kuroo replied with a wink.

“Shouldn't you be eating with your team? All of the food's gonna be gone soon if you don't hurry.”

Kuroo looked to the sky and hummed a familiar tune that Daichi couldn't quite place. His usual smirk softened to a warm smile, and without looking away from the dimming sky he replied, “That's actually why I'm here, didn't want you to miss out on the food. The shorty's eating enough for a whole team right now.”

“Ah, sorry about him – and sorry about the bald one, in advance.” Daichi sighed.

Kuroo looked down at Daichi and in a split second his annoying smirk was back. He bent at the knees and held a hand out, prompting Daichi to take it.

Daichi, tired and irritated, batted the offered hand away. “I can get up myself, I may be an omega but I'm not helpless.”

Smirk never falling, Kuroo straightened up. “Never said you were. I know _very_ well that you're far from helpless.”

_The hell is that supposed to mean...?_

Too tired to pursue the question further, Daichi just trudged toward the smell of food, Kuroo two steps behind.

\----------

The following days were much of the same. Karusuno nearly won some, lost many more. Training was exhausting, and the sun's endless heat didn't help matters. Every night it was like a hoard of zombies was released, with the amount of groaning and heaving bodies there were.

Tough as it was, they had made it. They'd accomplished so much in such a short time, the renewed vigor for the sport was almost tangible.

It was their last night at the training camp, but instead of the usual lifelessness there was a spring in their steps. There was a sense of accomplishment in the air, and even Tsukishima seemed happier.

Suga and Daichi chatted as they walked back from their baths, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

“-and then he laughed so hard at his own joke that he choked on his food! Who does that?!” Daichi huffed.

“It sounds to me like you and Kuroo have been having a lot of fun together.” Suga teased, snickering when he saw Daichi's glare.

“And what is that supposed to mean? His life goal is to annoy me; I don't see how that's _fun_.” Daichi grimaced.

“Yeah, but you've been teasing him just as much. Don't think I didn't see you bending over in front of him, you're totally enjoying this.”

Daichi sighed, “Okay, maybe a little... It's just nice to feel wanted and to flirt a little. Back home the alphas aren't exactly lining up to court me.”

“Are you going to pursue anything with him?”

Daichi tripped over his feet in his shock. “No! This is just some harmless fun. Tomorrow we'll go back home, he'll stay in Tokyo, and we'll all live our normal, boring, lives.”

“Alright, alright, calm down. Anyway, I think this is good for you; good, harmless, fun - just like you said.”

“Of course-”

“But Dai?” Suga interrupted, “You're selling yourself too short. You're just as good as all the other omegas, and any alpha would want you.”

“Thanks, but-”

“I mean it. You're one of my best friends, I want to see you happy.” Suga's expression was serious, his gaze piercing in it's intensity.

Daichi coughed to hide his watering eyes, looking away as he said, “Thanks, Suga. Really.”

Suga simply smiled, leading them back to their room.

Daichi couldn't help but hope that Suga was right.

\----------

A few weeks later found the third years in a park near their school. It was a small park, enclosed in green trees and flowering bushes. Suga had found it in their first year, and the three had been using it as a hangout spot ever since.

“Ahh, I'm glad we decided to eat out here, the shade feels great.” Suga sighed wistfully.

Daichi simply nodded in agreement.

“Um, Daichi, you're being kind of... quiet? Is something wrong?” Asahi asked.

“No, I'm fine, just a bit tired today, sorry.” Daichi mumbled.

Suga sighed. “Okay, but you've been 'quiet' for the past two weeks. Outside of practice you hardly even go out anymore! This isn't like you Dai!”

Daichi glanced at Asahi and saw him nodding in agreement. He tried to ignore them and go back to eating, but their concerned stares burned into the side of Daichi's head.

Putting his food down, Daichi relented. “I've just... I'm tired. I see couples everywhere I go and I guess it's just been getting to me.”

_Not to mention I'm too big to be an omega. My voice is too rough and I'm muscular and big and just – wrong. No wonder no alpha wants me._

“So you're lonely?” Asahi asked.

Before Daichi could reply, Suga jumped up from his seat, a determined look on his face.

_Oh no._

“Alright, if the alphas can't see how great you are, we're just going to have to force them to see it! I mean come on, Asahi can see it! Daichi's hot, right Asahi?”

Asahi, put on the spot, flushed and replied with, “Yes? I mean, yeah he's, um, g-good looking.”

Suga grinned victoriously. “That settles it. I declare that 'Operation: Find Daichi a Boyfriend' starts now!”

Daichi, having given up, just conceded to his fate. He could only hope that any guy Suga found wouldn't be too weird.

\----------

Days had passed since their fateful conversation in the park, and Daichi had yet to see any evidence of Suga's promise (threat) to get Daichi a boyfriend.

He was happy about it, honestly. It meant he could spend more time to himself. Who cared if he wanted someone to hold hands with, he could just get a cat.

A cute couple walked past Daichi on the crosswalk – two omegas. One was clutching the other's arm and giggling, while the other was softly smiling. Daichi sighed, maybe he'd get two cats, or even three. He might as well get a whole houseful of cats while he was at it.

A buzzing from his pocket shook Daichi from his thoughts. He checked his phone, and when he saw the message Suga had sent, nearly dropped it.

 

**[Suga:] You've got a date!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #SaveDaichi2017  
> You can talk to me @ raspbooby.tumblr.com


	3. The Start of Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi discovers the joy of tall pretty-boys, Suga is a menace, and Kageyama befriends a water bottle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer than I would have liked, life stresses and stuff made everything I wrote garbage lol. I think it's all good now though.  
> 

“His name is Touma Sato and you're going to love him.”

Daichi didn't even get a chance to put his bag down in the clubroom before Suga started talking about Daichi's mystery date.

“He's in his first year of university, he used to play baseball, and he works part time at the pet store across the street from that weird stop light. You're like a match made in heaven!” Suga puffed out his chest triumphantly.

Daichi sighed, “How could you possibly know that? For all we know he could be a serial killer or something. Or he might kick puppies.”

Suga squared his shoulders and countered with, “That's impossible. He's _so_ nice. It's practically in his DNA. I mean come on - he's related to Asahi - that's how deeply ingrained the niceness is.”

“Wait- what? He's related to Asahi? Did you run out of so many candidates that all you had left were relatives?” Daichi grimaced.

“Ha – no. You're not changing the subject that easily.”

“I'm not trying to-”

“Daichi, come on, give me some credit.” Suga raised an eyebrow, challenging Daichi to say something. When it became obvious he wasn't going to be interrupted again, Suga pulled his phone out of his bag. “Please, before you say anything else, just look at his picture.”

Daichi groaned, and peered over Suga's shoulder at his phone. What he saw left him speechless.

He was _gorgeous_. Soft chestnut curls framed his face, curling slightly above his ears. His eyes were deep and warm, smile lines crinkling them and softening his face further. Daichi could see some slight similarities to Asahi there, but that was where they stopped. Sato-san's face was slim yet structured, with a sharp jaw and slight stubble along his jawline. A peek of silver jewelry poked through the hair covering the tops of his ears.

“Wow.” Daichi's mouth felt dry, and he found he couldn't say much more.

“I told you he's perfect. You can thank me after your date.” Suga grinned and winked at the still stunned Daichi.

“...Does he know what I look like? Because there's no way someone like him could actually want to go out with me.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Both Suga and Daichi jumped and turned to the entry of the clubroom. There they saw Asahi, frowning and looking... _angry_?

“Um...” Daichi and Suga replied in unison.

Asahi sighed, wilting from his previously stiff posture. “Are you talking about Touma? Suga told me he was setting you two up.”

“Uh, yeah.” Daichi mumbled.

“I don't see him that often, but I know he'll like you, trust me. Honestly he'll probably think you're out of his league.” Asahi said.

Grasping at straws, Daichi asked, “Well how tall is he? Most alphas wouldn't be okay with dating an omega that's taller than them.”

Asahi muttered under his breath, “You're not _that_ tall, Daichi...”

Suga just smirked knowingly and turned to Asahi, “How tall is he Asahi? At least your height, right? He looked like he might have even been a bit taller when I saw him.”

“Uhh, I think he's about 2 cm taller than me?” Asahi answered.

“Perfect!” Suga cheered, and turned back to Daichi, “You'll meet him at the ice cream shop near the pet store he works at, 5 o'clock tomorrow, don't be late!”

Suga cheerily strolled out of the clubroom, leaving Daichi and Asahi alone.

Asahi cleared his throat. “I don't want you to feel weird about Touma and I being related, I mean, we're only second cousins, or something like that.”

And with that Daichi's last excuse for not going on the date was gone. He mentally cursed Asahi as he finished getting dressed, following Suga to the gym.

\-----------

The date had gone... strangely well. He and Sato had a great time. It was almost too good to be true, but Sato had asked to see him again after walking Daichi home. What's more, Daichi agreed. That evening Daichi had his first date, and his first _real_ kiss; it was almost overwhelming. Like it was all a dream.

Asahi, Suga, and Daichi had agreed to meet at the park the next morning, and Daichi still couldn't get the dazed smile off his face.

Daichi attempted to get his grin under control as he neared the park, hoping it wasn't obvious.

Of course Suga noticed right away.

“I knew it! And to think you doubted me.”

Asahi, ignoring Suga's celebration, asked, “How did it go? You look like you had fun.”

“I did. We, well we just talked the whole time, but I had a lot of fun. It was kind of weird, having an alpha paying such close attention to me and actually liking me, like- um, like that.” Daichi laughed awkwardly.

“And...?” Suga asked.

“...We're going to the mall next weekend.” Daichi smiled, suddenly feeling shy.

Asahi and Daichi watched in amusement as Suga cheered. He had gone from congratulating him to practically making plans for Daichi's wedding.

“So when do you think you'll bang?”

“ _Suga!_ ”

\----------

In an effort to bring out the team's full potential, Coach Ukai had arranged for a long weekend at Nekoma. He had just given them notice a few days before they were to leave, and everyone was anxious to show how much they've improved, as well as to reunite with Nekoma's team.

“Three days is too long to wait!” Hinata wailed. “I want to kick Nekoma's butt now!”

“You just want to _see_ their _setter's_ butt.” Tsukishima snickered, with Yamaguchi giggling beside him.

Hinata squawked, bristling and flushing as bright as his hair. “I don't know what you're talking about!”

Before Tsukishima could reply and escalate the situation further, Daichi stepped in. “Shouldn't you all be warming up? It's still time for practice, no matter how excited you are.”

Hinata glared at Tsukishima for a few more seconds, until he deemed it enough and trotted over to Kageyama.

Everyone was in high spirits due to the upcoming trip, but Daichi just couldn't get into it. He and Sato had officially been boyfriends for about two weeks now, and they had promised to meet up over the weekend.

_Oh well, I already told him that the club would have to come first._

\----------

“ _Woah_ , Dai, looks like you had a great time last night, huh?” Suga chuckled as he slid into the bus seat beside Daichi.

Daichi looked up, confused. “Huh?”

Suga grinned and made a vague gesture to his own neck.

“...” Daichi paused, processing what Suga could possibly have meant until, “ _Oh my god!_ ” He hissed, clapping a hand over his neck.

Suga outright cackled at Daichi's embarrassment until mirthful tears lined his eyes.

“Sugaaa, shut up!” Daichi growled, although the burning in his cheeks lessened the intended effect.

“Sorry, sorry. But seriously, how did he give you a hickey that dark? And big?”

Flushing harder, Daichi mumbled, “I told him I couldn't meet up over the weekend because of a training camp, so we met up last night instead. We got a little carried away and he...”

“He what?” Suga looked slightly concerned, so Daichi rushed the rest out.

“Nothing bad! He just um... when I said there would be a lot of other alphas there, he said. He said that he wanted to make sure they knew I was off limits. So, um... this happened.” Daichi gestured toward his neck, sinking lower in his seat.

“Damn.” Suga huffed, “I wish an alpha would give me a hickey.”

The sound of water being inhaled and promptly coughed and hacked out came from the seat in front of them, followed by Nishinoya laughing and smacking Kageyama on the back.

Suga gave a satisfied smirk, looking very proud of himself.

“You're a menace, Suga.” Daichi laughed.

“Don't you forget it.”

\----------

They had arrived in Tokyo and everything was going well, or as well as could be expected. Nekoma's campus was huge, although Daichi supposed that any school in such a big city would have to be big. Daichi took in the sights and sounds of the city as they approached the gym.

As they entered, Daichi could tell that this gym was at least twice the size of their own. He would feel bad about it, but Hinata's shrieking was more than enough of a distraction.

“Kenmaaa!” Hinata ran toward the poor setter, babbling a mile a minute.

The rest of Karusuno and Nekoma met up, chatting amicably. The only person Daichi couldn't find was-

“Hey! Sawamura.” Kuroo called as he walked into the gym, closely followed by their coaches.

“Hello, Kuroo.” Daichi replied as he attempted a welcoming smile.

“We missed you all, it's no fun without...” Kuroo trailed off as his eyes roamed over Daichi's face, eyebrows scrunching up. He was looking so closely Daichi was sure there must have been something on his face. Right as he was about to ask, though, Kuroo's eyes bulged and he made a sound similar to a choking cat.

“Kuroo?! What's wrong?”

Kuroo quickly recovered, and instantly his trademarked smirk was back in place. “Oh nothing,” He hummed, “I just didn't realize the great Sawamura Daichi could be so easily tamed.”

“What? Ah!” Daichi jolted, hand instinctively covering the bruise blooming across his pulse point.

Kuroo laughed, “So even you get embarrassed, I have to admit it's pretty cute on you.”

Daichi flushed further, and was about to retort but by the time he looked up from his shoes, Kuroo was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can talk to me @ raspbooby.tumblr.com


	4. WTF Kuroo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo does everything wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up a little bit more angsty than originally planned, but I liked where it went so that's how it is now lol. The angst won't be too bad though, I promise.

Kuroo was avoiding him.

There was nothing else it could be. Daichi had thought that maybe it was just his imagination at first. After all they were busy training, and Kuroo was a captain just like Daichi. That would be a valid explanation, if Kuroo wasn't avoiding him like the plague _after_ practice as well.

By the end of the second day, Daichi was concerned, and decided to ask Suga for his opinion as they walked to the makeshift dinner area.

“He's just been... distant, you know? It's weird, he's never been like this before. Usually he'd be going out of his way to bother me.”

Suga hummed in thought, “Maybe it's an alpha thing? I mean you _still_ reek of Sato-”

“I _reek_?”

“-you know what I meant, Daichi. I mean, even I can smell it and I'm a beta. Anyway, it's pretty obvious you aren't single; he's probably trying to avoid stepping on any toes.”

“But none of the other alphas are acting like this.” Daichi groaned.

“Yeah,” Suga sighed, “I'm not sure what to tell you, other than to either ask an alpha about it or ask Kuroo directly.”

“I _would_ ask Kuroo, if he would actually let me within five feet of him-”

Before Daichi could finish what he was saying, he collided with what felt like a weirdly angular wall. Daichi glanced up with an apology at the ready, only to find the exact person he had been talking about.

As Kuroo turned around to face Daichi, it felt like the world was moving in slow motion. The sharp scent of pine and mint spiked, and the air suddenly felt cold and numbing.

Daichi managed to get his bearings first, awkwardly mumbling, “Uh... hi.”

Kuroo's eyes widened slightly as they darted around the pathway they were on. He cleared his throat, took a step backwards, and in a rush of breath replied, “Hi.”

Distantly hearing Suga mention going ahead, Daichi nodded, still not taking his eyes off of Kuroo.

Daichi swallowed, searching for the words that could clear this, whatever _this_ was, up. As the silence continued, it became clear that Kuroo would not be saying anything on his own.

“What's your problem?”

_Way to go, Daichi. Couldn't have been any more blunt?_

Kuroo jerked his head, eyes finally meeting Daichi's. “My _problem_?”

Daichi squared his shoulders and replied with a nod.

“I don't have a problem.” Kuroo said, and Daichi might have believed it, if it weren't for the fact that Kuroo was still fidgeting and couldn't seem to look at Daichi for more than a second.

Daichi took a step forward, only for Kuroo to take another step back.

“Seriously, what's wrong with you?” Daichi gave his best captain glare, in hopes that it would work on Kuroo as well as it did with his own team.

Daichi took one more step forward, and this time instead of stepping back, Kuroo grabbed Daichi by the shoulder. He pushed Daichi back slightly while tilting his head away from him.

“Can you back up? _You stink_.” Kuroo said with a grimace.

Caught unprepared for the insult, Daichi spluttered, before hissing, “What do you mean, ' _I stink_ '?! I mean I know I haven't bathed yet but you don't exactly smell like a garden of roses yourself!”

Kuroo's grimace deepened further the more worked up Daichi got. He leaned his head further away as he scrunched up his nose. “It's not that. It's your scent. It's gross.”

Daichi went slack with shock. Kuroo had said it so matter of factly, like he was stating that it was raining. Looking closely at Kuroo's face, Daichi found nothing but disgust and irritation. None of the teasing smirks or playful looks he used to give him. He looked like it physically hurt him to have to be around Daichi.

“I see.” Daichi muttered, quickly stepping around Kuroo and jogging away. He didn't know where he was going, or why, he just knew he had to get away from there.

Daichi slowed to a walk as soon as he was sure he was far enough away, and found himself in a garden of some sort. It was getting late, he'd have to return to the team soon. Still, Daichi couldn't bring himself to move. He slumped to the ground, curling in on himself. He tried to make himself as small as possible. As normal as possible. Like a real omega.

Breath hitching, Daichi blinked away tears. His hands trembled as he hid his face in his knees.

The sun was almost set, Daichi had to go back. The team was probably waiting for him so they could all go back to their cheap hotel room and rest.

Daichi knew this, but he just couldn't make himself stand up.

Nekoma had probably already gone home. Kuroo was probably gone too.

Daichi let out a shuddering breath. He almost wished someone would come get him, but he didn't want anyone to see him like this.

“ _This is so stupid_...” Daichi sighed to himself.

Taking a few deep breaths, Daichi composed himself and stood up. He had taken not even fifteen steps before he heard his name being shouted.

Daichi picked up his pace, trotting toward the source of the yelling.

“Ah! We found him!” Nishinoya yelled over his shoulder as Daichi came into view. He and Ennoshita jogged up to Daichi, twin looks of worry on their faces as they came closer.

“Daichi-san, where were you? We were worried sick.” Ennoshita chided.

“Yeah, what if you were kidnapped, or tripped and fell and broke your leg, or-”

Daichi cut Nishinoya off, “I'm fine. Let's just hurry to the bus, okay?”

Sensing that Daichi didn't want to talk about it, the two of them dropped the subject. They all walked back in silence, until they were spotted by the rest of the team waiting by the bus.

He had been preparing for shouting or cheering as he returned, but apparently everyone was able to sense the melancholy mood hanging around their captain. Aside from some mild chatter, it was quiet. Even Hinata and Tanaka were mostly silent as they all boarded the bus.

Daichi felt exhausted as he flopped into a seat near the back of the bus. He curled in on himself as the bus filled, mentally sending out ' _don't talk to me_ ' signals. He watched as Suga sat next to Kageyama, but not before Suga gave him a look of concern. His eyebrows were raised, as if to ask, “ _Are you going to be okay?_ ”

Daichi nodded, trying for a reassuring smile and probably failing spectacularly. He sighed for probably the hundredth time as he looked out the window, losing himself in thought.

“Uh...”

Daichi looked up and saw Asahi awkwardly standing next to him.

“Can I sit here?” Asahi asked.

Daichi turned back to the window, and silently nodded.

Asahi hummed as he gently sat on the seat beside Daichi. How anyone that huge could be gentle Daichi would never know. But then again, this was Asahi.

They sat in silence for the first few minutes of the ride. Daichi staring out the window, Asahi reading something on his phone.

“Asahi?” Daichi murmured.

“Hm?” Asahi hummed as he lifted his head to look at Daichi.

“...Never mind.”

“Alright, I'm here if you change your mind.” Asahi replied.

Daichi slouched down, the mental and physical exhaustion from the day catching up to him. He looked at Asahi, who was back to reading, and gently rested his head on his firm shoulder.

Asahi didn't even react, so Daichi inhaled a trembling breath and asked, “Do I smell weird? _Am I_ weird?”

Asahi stiffened, carefully turning to look Daichi in the eye. “Where is this coming from?”

“Just answer the question.” Daichi grunted, before tacking on an added, “Please.”

“No, you don't smell weird. You smell kind of like the ocean, just like you always have. Although now that Touma's scent marking you, you smell a little different. Not bad though. And before you say anything, no, you're not weird, you're great.” Asahi had tensed up from agitation, and his voice took on a strange gravelly tone. It was odd, seeing Asahi get protective like that.

_Oh yeah, he's an alpha too._

Daichi hid his face in Asahi's shoulder, trying his best to hide the tears threatening to fall.

Asahi, being the saint he was, didn't say anything, and merely lifted a hand to rub against Daichi's back.

Daichi could tell what Asahi was trying to convey. “ _I'm here if you need me._ ”

\----------

It was their third – and last – day in Tokyo, and Daichi wasn't going to waste it worrying about needless things. He threw himself into their last few hours of training, ignoring the constant feeling of being watched coming from Nekoma's side of the net.

It was like a complete 180 from the previous two days. Kuroo had gone from avoiding Daichi like his life depended on it to never taking his eyes off of him. Every time Daichi glanced Kuroo's way he saw an intense expression and a clenched jaw. If possible that managed to irritate Daichi further – _he_ was the one with the right to be upset. Daichi had done nothing to Kuroo; _Kuroo_ was the one being the asshole.

With this, Daichi's pain and irritation morphed into anger. He played harder and rougher than he ever had, and if he had imagined a few of the volleyballs as Kuroo's face, well, that was no one's business but his own.

As Daichi slammed yet another ball into the court, Ennoshita slid into place beside him.

“Daichi-san, are you alright?” Ennoshita hesitantly asked.

Daichi responded with a grunt, hoping it would be enough to convince him. However at Ennoshita's prolonged silence, Daichi replied verbally. “What makes you think I'm not okay?”

Ennoshita cleared his throat, awkwardly scuffing his shoes. “You, uh... your scent is kind of filling the gym. You smell really agitated. And angry.”

Tensing up, Daichi just barely held back from snapping at his underclassman. Instead he sucked in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. He nodded at Ennoshita, signaling for him to return to practice.

Suga came up to him next.

“Before you ask, I'm fine.” Daichi murmured.

“Okay, you're fine, but we're going outside.” Suga spoke softly, like he was avoiding spooking a small animal.

“I don't need to-”

“You're scaring the other omegas, Daichi.”

Giving a defeated sigh, Daichi allowed Suga to steer him out the door. The walked until they could no longer hear the scuffling of feet on the gym floor, or the shouts of the teams as they played.

“Okay, we're outside, now what.”

Suga smiled softly and said, “Can't we just enjoy the scenery? You seemed pretty stressed, and that's not good for anyone.”

Instead of responding, Daichi just flopped onto the grass under a nearby maple tree. Suga followed shortly after, and the two of them took in the midday sun.

Daichi groaned, “We really shouldn't be out here, we need to be with the team.”

Smiling, Suga replied, “They'll be fine, they're just doing spiking and blocking practice right now anyway. They won't miss us for the next five minutes, at least.”

“But we need to-”

Before Daichi could finish, he was cut off by an angry alpha charging past them. He turned to look and saw Kuroo practically stomping down the sidewalk. The smell of mint he left behind was so strong Daichi felt his eyes start to water.

Daichi and Suga watched as Kuroo took a turn, and left the campus.

“What's up with _him_?” Suga whispered, as if he was afraid Kuroo could hear him.

“...Why does this always happen?” Daichi wondered aloud.

“Huh?”

“He's always right around the corner, ready to sneak up on me and make my life hell, and it's like he _knows_ when I'm talking about him.” Daichi added ruefully.

“It's like the saying, 'Speak of the Devil and he shall appear'.” Suga chuckled.

Recalling his previous meeting with Kuroo, Daichi grimaced, “Emphasis on devil.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments, before ultimately deciding it was time to return. As they stepped into the gym, they were met with chaos.

The coaches were trying to calm everyone down, while Yaku yelled at his team and attempted to get them under control. Daichi jogged to Yaku, and asked what was going on.

“Kuroo, that asshole, is apparently in rut, and decided it'd be a good idea to still come to practice today. Now - _Lev, knock it off!_ \- his pheromones are making everyone freak out!”

Groaning, Daichi did his best to calm his own team down as well.

\----------

By the time everything was resolved, it was already mid-afternoon. With all of the excitement and turmoil of the day, everyone decided it would be best to cut their last day short, and prepare for the trip home. This, of course meant tearful goodbyes and promises to meet again soon, the former coming mostly from Hinata and Tanaka.

On the long bus ride home, Daichi opted to sit alone. He needed space, away from (albeit well meaning) prying friends.

Daichi dug through his bag, searching for his phone. Once he found it, he brought up his most recent conversation. He and Sato had talked before bed the night before, and while he received much teasing because of it, it had helped Daichi clear his mind, and he could only hope that now it would do the same.

 

**[Daichi:] we're on our way home now**

**can we meet up tonight?**

 

**[Sato:] Of course!**

**Do you want me to pick you up?**

 

**[Daichi:] yeah**

**if you don't mind**

 

**[Sato:] ...Are you ok?**

**[Daichi:] i'm just tired. And I miss you**

 

**[Sato:] I missed you too.**

**I'll see you tonight, ok?**

 

Daichi smiled down at his phone, finding that his mood had already lightened considerably.

 

**[Daichi:] yeah, i'll see you tonight**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating changes next chapter, and it'll be from Kuroo's pov ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> 


	5. Rut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and his hand having a touching reunion.

Tetsurou didn't even bother pausing to take his shoes off as he stormed into his house, instead ripping and throwing his clothes off as he made his way to his room. By the time he reached his door he was completely naked, save for one sock that was quickly yanked off.

In a moment of clarity, Tetsurou slammed and locked his door shut, aware that his mother could be home anytime. He launched himself onto his bed, and groaned as a familiar heat clouded his mind and burned under his skin. Unable to get comfortable he thrashed around, kicking his blankets off the bed in the process. A pillow fell and took his bedside lamp with it. Tetsurou couldn't bring himself to care.

Finally, Tetsurou found a somewhat satisfying position on his stomach. His aching cock was pressed into the mattress, bringing him momentary relief.

Tetsurou let out a heavy sigh that turned into a whine. His body was pulsing, his limbs felt like jelly from the excess adrenaline coursing through him, and the only thing he could think of was how much he wanted to fuck. To mount. _To claim_. He let out a growl at the thought, and started grinding his hips into the mattress.

He wasn't going to last long, too worked up from the day's events to think of anything but his desire for release. Tetsurou dragged his leaking cock over the sheets, sucking in heaving breaths as he got closer and closer to coming. He ducked his head, pressing his forehead to the mattress, and with one final groan he came on his bed and stomach.

Catching his breath, Tetsurou felt his mind clear a bit. He attempted to clean up some of the mess he made on his sheets, although he knew they'd be dirty again within the hour. He knew from experience that he had roughly 45 minutes in between each peak of his rut, so he had time before he became a hormonal mess again.

Unfortunately, with spare time came wandering thoughts.

_I wonder if they're still practicing right now?_

_How is the team doing without me? Not that I'd be much good right now._

_Sawamura must think I'm an asshole._

Tetsurou jolted at the thought of Karasuno's captain, and felt a twinge of regret, followed by anger, and bitter jealousy. His jaw clenched subconsciously at the image of some faceless alpha as he scented Sawamura, kissed him, held him, _fucked_ him, _Tetsurou's_ omega-

Tetsurou gasped as if submerged in ice-water, and stared wide eyed at the ceiling.

“ _No, nononono_ – Sawamura is not _my omega_ , why would I even _think_ that!?” Tetsurou hissed to himself, covering his burning face with his hands.

But now that the thought had formed, Tetsurou couldn't get it out of his head. Instead of some faceless alpha, it was _him_ scenting, kissing, and fucking Sawamura. It was _him_ bringing the omega complete and total ecstasy. _Him_ making Sawamura beg to be knotted; cry for his cock to fill him up.

Tetsurou shivered as he realized he had begun stroking his cock. He glanced down at the red, swollen head and licked his lips. He imagined Sawamura's pretty lips softly mouthing along the side. His tongue shyly licking at the head before greedily sucking on it.

His thoughts ran wild as Tetsurou continued pumping his cock. He imagined Sawamura swallowing it down, glancing up at Kuroo with those intense eyes. Imagined playing with Sawamura's body. Holding him down as he marked up his neck with dozens of bruises, sucked at his nipples, before traveling lower.

Tetsurou would pull the sweetest noises from him. He'd nibble on Sawamura's (no doubt sensitive) thighs, and he'd give those drool worthy legs the treatment they deserved. He'd decorate his body with so many pretty pink marks; the world would know who Sawamura belonged to.

Tetsurou's cock was dripping at this point. He threw his head back as his hand picked up speed and he let out a near inhuman growl as he got closer to the tipping point.

“ _Come on- just a little- ah! More!_ ” Tetsurou groaned as one final image flitted through his mind – Sawamura on his back, legs spread, and body flushed.

This was just enough to push Tetsurou over the edge, coating his hand and abdomen in his release.

Tetsurou let out the breath he'd been holding, slowly relaxing his tensed muscles. He mopped up the mess with a few tissues before it could dry, and tossed them who knows where.

“...” Tetsurou sat in disbelief as the realization of what just happened sank in. “What the _fuck_.”

\----------

**[Kuro:] On a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is it to use**

**someone u know as jerk off material**

 

**[Kenma:] …**

**7**

**Why are you asking me this??**

**Wait don't tell me I don't want to know**

 

**[Kuro:] Its better if u dont know**

 

**[Kenma:] Right. Have a fun rut**

**Don't do anything stupid**

 

Tetsurou couldn't help but feel that he already had. He'd jerked off to the thought of Sawamura three more times since getting home, and he had a feeling that wouldn't be the end of it. He felt guilty for doing it, but whenever his rut peaked he just couldn't help it. His imagination would start running wild, recalling the scenarios he'd already made up about the two of them, and going further each time.

Rolling over so his face was squashed into the bed, Tetsurou let out a whine. “I'm a despicable human being. I'm dirtying Sawamura's pure image.”

Tetsurou kept his face pressed into the mattress until the need to breathe was no longer avoidable. He sat up, cringed at the pulsing in his head – and other places – and resigned himself to his fate.

“Sorry Sawamura...”

\----------

As soon as his rut was over, Tetsurou practically dragged Kenma to his house. Once the two were in the privacy of his room and away from prying ears, Kuroo let out a breath.

“I fucked up.”

Kenma paused as he sat in Tetsurou's desk chair, and replied smoothly with, “...And? It's not the first time.”

Not at all surprised by his best friend's sass, Tetsurou let everything tumble out.

“But I really fucked up, like, how can I talk to him again, do I apologize? What if he- oh god, what if he _knows?_ I can't handle-”

“Oh, is this about Sawamura-san?” Kenma interrupted.

Tetsurou jolted out of his mini rant, and nearly shrieked, “It was just the rut! I never meant to defile him! I would never do that, I mean, maybe not _never_ , he's gorgeous, but- I mean, it was a moment of weakness...!” Curling into a ball on his bed, Tetsurou tucked his face into his knees.

Kenma's face scrunched up in disgust. “I don't know what you're talking about, but I meant during training. While you were being dumb and he looked like he wanted to stab you.”

Tetsurou blanched. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“...Uh. Yeah. That's definitely not what I was talking about.”

“Don't tell me, I don't want to know.” Kenma sighed.

“...I really need to apologize. I'm such an ass, I treated him like shit and I can't even apologize because they already went home.” Tetsurou groaned into his knees.

Kenma gave Tetsurou a look that said ' _You're an idiot_ '.

“ _What_?” Tetsurou whined.

“Phone?”

Tetsurou paused, “ _Oh_. Haha. I don't have his number.”

“I'll get it for you.” Kenma had apparently deemed the conversation over, and pulled out his psp. The music played as his game started up, and he resolutely kept his face down toward the screen. Half of his face was covered by his hair, and his mouth was pinched shut.

Tetsurou knew that look. It was Kenma's “I'm embarrassed about something and I don't want you to know why” look. But what was he hiding...?

Oh. _Oh._

 _“How are you going to get his number, Kenma?”_ Tetsurou teased.

Stiffening, Kenma glanced to the door as if he were looking for an escape. Upon realizing that he had no way to get out of it, Kenma sighed. “I'll get it from Shouyou, it's not like I haven't been texting him for the past few months.”

Tetsurou hummed to himself; he knew there was more to it, but it didn't seem like he was going to get any more out of Kenma at the moment.

“You washed your sheets after you jerked off to Sawamura-san, right?”

Tetsurou choked on his own spit, coughing until his eyes watered. He glanced up at Kenma only to find him looking at his game with a smug smile.

_I don't care what mom says; that innocent face is a lie, he's pure evil._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can talk to me on tumblr @ raspbooby


	6. Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally we're introduced to Sato!

“Mmph, Sato- nn, wha- Ah!”

Daichi pulled back, glaring as he rubbed the spot on his butt where Sato had pinched him, and smacked Sato's arm in response.

Sato just giggled, a sound that immediately melted the frown from Daichi's face.

“Sorry, sorry. But I asked you to call me Touma, remember?” There was a teasing lilt to Sato – no, _Touma's_ voice, and it made Daichi's face burn.

Daichi grunted and turned his head, attempting to hide his embarrassment. After a few moments of nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat, Daichi finally grumbled, “That was no reason to pinch me though, _Touma._ ”

“I'm sorry.” Touma grinned in a way that was in no way apologetic, and rubbed the spot that he pinched.

“You're an ass.” Daichi laughed as Touma continued kneading.

“Mm, does that bother you?” Touma hummed as his eyes trailed over Daichi's face.

“Nope. Not at all.” Daichi stuck his tongue out teasingly, and was promptly tackled onto the couch he had previously been upright on.

“Nng- Sat- _Touma_!” Daichi giggled in between kisses, his head spinning from the combination of the impact and Touma's mouth on his own.

“ _Daichi_.” Touma parroted back.

“We shouldn't be doing this- _pffhahaha stop that tickles_ – my parents could be- _mmh_ -home soon!”

Touma pressed his nose to Daichi's neck, nuzzling his scent glands. Daichi could feel Touma grin as he nibbled at his neck.

“You'd better not be leaving any more marks, the one you left before still hasn't gone away. Do you know how much crap I've gotten from Suga about it?” Daichi huffed out, feigning irritation, even as he pressed his own face into Touma's neck.

Daichi inhaled deeply as Touma switched to soft kisses and licking, and breathed in the tangy scent of citrus and something he couldn't quite place, but made his nose tingle and itch.

Pulses thrummed, mingling, Touma slowly lowered himself until he and Daichi were chest to chest. His hands slid up and down Daichi's sides, making their way to his hips as Daichi gripped the back of Touma's shirt.

“ _Nn, Touma I wan-_ ”

The shrill tone of Daichi's phone cut him off. He and Touma paused for a moment, gathering their bearings.

“Um, I should probably get that.”

Touma sat up, straddling Daichi's hips as he reached for the still ringing phone on the end table. He glanced at the screen as he was about to pass it to Daichi, but hesitated.

“It's an unknown number.”

“Ah...”

“Mm, they can wait, they'll leave a message if it's important.” The phone stopped ringing as Touma set it on the floor. Grinning, he loomed over Daichi. “Now, where were we?”

Daichi laughed, “Hmm, I don't know, I might need to be reminded.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Touma nibbled at Daichi's collarbones, causing Daichi to momentarily forget how to breathe.

“Ahh,” Daichi sighed, “Touma, feels-”

A shrill ringing filled the room.

Groaning, Daichi pushed Touma off of him so he could sit up. He reached for the phone, answering it by the fourth ring.

“Hello?” Daichi, still slightly breathless, cleared his throat.

“...”

“...Hello? If this is a prank I'm hanging up.”

“Ah, no sorry. Um, this is Kuroo. Uh, Kuroo Tetsurou? From-”

“I know who you are Kuroo.”

“Oh, right...”

“Is there a reason you called?”

“Oh, yeah actually, um-”

“Ah!” Daichi squeaked as Touma's fingers slipped under the waistband of Daichi's jeans.

After swatting a laughing Touma's hands away, Daichi pressed the phone back to his ear.

“Sorry about that. What were you saying?”

“No, um. I mean. What I wanted to say was... uh. I'm sorry. I was a jerk back then. During training. I said some really mean things and uh. Yeah, I just wanted to say sorry I treated you so badly.”

Kuroo obviously sounded uncomfortable. His voice was breathy and stilted, like an awkwardly prepared speech. For all Daichi knew he probably did prepare it in advance.

On any other occasion Daichi would have used this as an excuse to hold something over Kuroo's head, but what he'd said back then had hit right where Daichi was already insecure, and he had bigger problems at the moment. The hands that were currently creeping up his shirt, to be specific.

“Thank you for- nn,” Daichi coughed to mask the sound he made, glaring at Touma, “For apologizing. I get that you were in rut. Although that doesn't change the fact that you were being a giant dick.”

“I was near my rut, yeah, but that's no excuse, I was out of line and said and did things that I shouldn't have, and that I didn't mean. I really am sorry. It won't happen again.”

Kuroo's voice had taken on a hint of desperation; he sounded like he was near tears.

“It's okay, Kuroo, I forgive you.”

“Thank y-”

“Just don't let it happen again, alright?” Daichi interrupted.

“Oh, yeah, of course-”

“ _Touma!_ ” Daichi whirled around to face Touma, holding the phone away from his face as he scolded him.

Touma just sat back with an innocent look on his face as his hands rested on Daichi's chest, as if he hadn't just pinched his nipples.

“I'm trying to talk, can't you keep it in your pants for _two minutes_?” Daichi hissed.

“Ok, ok.” Touma giggled.

Daichi brought his phone back to his ear, an apology on the tip of his tongue, but was met with silence.

_Did he hang up?_

“Kuroo? You there?”

“Yes! Um, I. I, uh. Need to go. Now. Bye!”

The call disconnected before Daichi could respond, leaving him staring at his phone, dumbfounded.

“That was... weird.” Daichi mused to himself.

Arms wrapped around Daichi's stomach, causing him to jump and turn toward the person attached to said arms. “You! What was _that_ about?”

Touma just grinned, his tongue poking out from between his teeth.

“I'm sorry, you're just too cute sometimes, I can't help myself.”

Daichi grimaced, whining, “He definitely knew what was going on! How am I going to talk to him again?”

Sobering, Touma rubbed Daichi's arms. “I'm sorry. Can I make it up to you?”

“...Maybe, it'll take a lot though.” Daichi hummed as he pecked Touma on the lips.

“I'm willing to try.” Touma giggled.

The atmosphere started to regain it's previous heat. Hands slid under clothes, tangled into hair, and just as Daichi was pulling Touma's shirt off – keys jangled and the front door opened.

“ _Shit!_ ”

\----------

Daichi lazed in bed that evening, staring at his phone. He stared at the newest contact's numbers until they blurred together in a way that reminded him of his own jumbled emotions. Taking a deep breath, Daichi saved the new contact with an air of finality.

“What am I doing...” Daichi sighed to himself as he dropped his phone onto the bed.

He thought back on the events leading up to this, and found himself feeling irked. Daichi _did_ believe that Kuroo was honestly sorry, he really did. Kuroo was irritating and at times rude, but he wouldn't purposely hurt anyone. That didn't change the fact that he had been out of line. Maybe Daichi was just holding a grudge, he didn't know. Only time would tell.

Daichi flailed around on his bed, but couldn't seem to get comfortable. His phone sat next to him, calling to him, screaming that ' _It's not like you to leave things half-done_ '. He glared at it for several seconds, before ultimately giving in.

Pulling up Kuroo's contact, Daichi hesitated. How would he even start? What would he say? _Hey, remember when my boyfriend kept trying to make out with me while you were apologizing?_ No.

Not allowing enough time to second guess himself, Daichi typed the first thing he could think of and hit send. He immediately dropped his phone like it was on fire, and glared holes into it as if it would make Kuroo respond faster.

It had been two minutes and Kuroo had yet to reply. To distract himself, Daichi tried (and failed) to start his homework. When it became obvious that he wouldn't be accomplishing that, he changed into his pajamas.

Five more minutes passed.

Daichi was nearly on the verge of pacing, trying desperately not to check his phone and re-read the message he'd sent. He could wait, this wasn't even that important. Kuroo didn't mean that much to him anyway.

Daichi lunged for his phone as soon as it pinged with a new message notification.

 

**[Daichi:] hey thanks again for apologizing**

**friends?**

 

**[Kuroo:] Oh yeah of course dude!**

 

Relief filled Daichi as he flopped onto his bed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Kuroo, I like to make things hard for you.  
> I'm raspbooby on tumblr if you want to cry together


	7. Endings and Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is really dialogue heavy, haha. Oh well, it kind of needed to be to get things going :p

Daichi's life had been quiet since leaving Nekoma. Not boring, no, just... quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. Not that Daichi was complaining, he could use a little more quiet in his life. Yet he couldn't help but feel somewhat restless.

That was what compelled Daichi to start his frequent texting with Kuroo. Obviously. Daichi had been home alone one Saturday at the beginning of summer vacation, bored out of his mind. Touma was studying with friends, Suga had chores at home, and Asahi had violin lessons that he absolutely couldn't skip. Daichi could have asked someone else to hang out, someone from his class, or maybe even one of the second years, but it all felt like too much work. Therefore the next best thing was to text someone, and that someone just happened to be Kuroo. They hadn't really spoken since Kuroo had apologized a few weeks earlier, so checking in with him was probably overdue.

Their conversations came surprisingly easy. At first it was just the occasional “How's your break/the team/practice”, but within a few days they became more relaxed, more open. Daichi learned about Kuroo's unashamed love of cheesy dating sims, his favorite movie – an obscure mystery/thriller from his childhood – about his family, and his friends. Daichi could confidently say he was one of them, at that point.

Perhaps it was because of their rapidly developing friendship that Daichi felt comfortable discussing his relationship woes.

 

**[Daichi:] things are just**

**stagnating I guess?**

**I really like him, I just**

**idk**

 

**[Kuroo:] It could just be that thing**

**That happens when a couple is together for a while**

**and its like, uh, the honeymoon phase is over?**

 

**[Daichi:] maybe**

**we've been together for almost 3 months**

**i'll try talking to him about it, not sure how much good it'll do**

 

**[Kuroo:] I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end**

**And you two will get married and have 2.5 kids**

**Move to the suburbs, get a dog, hire a nanny**

 

**[Daichi:] im not so sure about that kuroo**

**thanks for believing in me though haha**

**and sorry im dumping all of this on you,**

**I can't really go to suga or asahi about this because they were**

**the ones to set us up**

 

**[Kuroo:] Yeah that's me**

**Always supporting. And believing**

**It's just my personality, I'm the nurturer**

 

**[Daichi:] if you say so kuroo**

**anyway I need to go, sato is coming over**

**maybe i'll talk to him tonight**

 

**[Kuroo:] Alright tell me how it goes**

 

Daichi set his phone down, sighing. He scrubbed his hands over his face in an attempt to clear his thoughts and form a decent plan for the night. Nothing came to mind.

Grumbling, Daichi hauled himself off his couch and to the kitchen. Hopefully a glass of water would help. As he made his way back to the living room with his water, Daichi's phone chimed with a message. When he saw what it said Daichi nearly snorted his water.

 

**[Kuroo:] Use a condom <(*ΦωΦ*)>**

 

Face flushed and coughing water out of his lungs, Daichi still couldn't help laughing a little. Suddenly feeling less nervous, Daichi grinned and replied with something about Kuroo being a pervy old man, and got ready to meet Touma.

\----------

“So I'm single again.”

“What?!” Asahi and Suga squawked in unison.

Daichi nodded as he chased a stray drip of his ice cream.

“Why?” Asahi looked nervous, like Daichi was going to blame _him_ for his failed relationship.

“We just decided it would be best. It's not like we were super serious in the first place.”

Suga studied Daichi for a few moments. “You don't seem very upset.”

Humming, Daichi replied, “I'm not, really. I mean, it's a little sad because it was fun, but we're still friends and are still going to talk and stuff. If anything I feel kind of relieved.”

“How so?”

“It kind of felt like I was lying to myself the whole time. Like – I was trying to convince myself that a relationship would make everything better, but I knew deep down that it wouldn't. So I felt guilty, like I was stringing Sato along and I had an ulterior motive or something. I like him too much to do that to him, or anyone.”

They sat in silence for a while after that, processing what Daichi said. Asahi was the first to break the silence.

“So you don't want to date right now?”

Daichi hummed. “I think so, yeah. I thought being in a relationship would fix my problems, and that maybe it would make me feel like a real omega, I don't know. I didn't feel any different though; I only felt like I was doing the things that were expected of me, not what I really wanted. Like I was pretending to be this stereotypical omega that I'm not.” Daichi paused to take a breath. “And... I don't know, it didn't feel right.”

“Didn't feel right?” Suga chimed in.

Daichi cleared his throat, suddenly feeling shy. “Uh... yeah. Like- like there wasn't a spark or anything. I don't know. It was fun but...”

At that Suga snickered. “You always have been a bit of a closet romantic, Daichi.”

Daichi let out a grumbled protest, “It's not like- okay, but-” He sighed. “I just want someone who I really click with – someone like- like a soulmate. Or something. And to be honest I'm pretty sure I'm not going to find that in high school, most of the alphas here only think with their dicks.” Daichi glanced toward Asahi. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

Feeling awkward from talking so much about himself, Daichi made an attempt to change the subject.

“ _Anyway_! Don't you have something to tell us, _Suga_?”

Suga's cheeks flushed a soft pink, but he regained his composure quickly. “Yeah, yeah. We finally got together. Gross couple-y stuff has happened. Now back to Daichi-”

Asahi cut Suga off, “Wait! When did that happen? And how did _you_ know about it, Daichi?”

“I accidentally walked in on him giving Kageyama a little one-on-one training in the clubroom last week.” Daichi chuckled.

Suga groaned, “You make it sound like I was giving him a blowjob or something, you perv!”

Erupting with barely contained giggles, Asahi gasped out, “He would probably die if you did that Suga, can you imagine?”

Daichi grinned to himself as Suga and Asahi laughed themselves to tears. Luckily the slightly tense atmosphere was gone, and he could carry on with his life just like before. No need for boyfriends, no irrational fears of dying alone with no one but his house full of cats. It had been fun, a new experience, but Daichi couldn't help but feel like there was someone, somewhere, out there that was perfect for him. He just might have to do a bit of searching. Until then he could wait.

Daichi was abruptly pulled from his thoughts as Asahi laughed so hard he shot water out of his nose, causing Suga to laugh so hard he dropped his popsicle, and that made both of them laugh even harder.

\----------

“So you're saying you still kind of like hickey guy-”

“His name is Sato, and yes.”

“And you had a lot of fun dating him.”

“Yes-”

“And so you... dumped him? I don't get it.”

Daichi sighed into his phone, “I didn't dump him, it was mutual, and it's like I told you before, things were stagnating and it just wasn't worth it anymore.”

“ _Ooohh_ ,” Kuroo purred, “I get it! The sex was bad.”

Spluttering, Daichi replied, “No! Get your mind out of the gutter you pervert!”

“So the sex was good? Why the hell would you dump him then?”

“ _No!_ ” Daichi nearly screeched, “We never did anything like _that_ , now drop it!”

Kuroo laughed, dispelling the tension that had built up in Daichi's shoulders.

“Alright, alright, I'll drop it. I still think it was a waste of potentially good dick though.”

“Kuroo! I _will_ hang up.”

“I'm sorry, don't leave me Sawamura! How will I feed the children?”

“You're ridiculous, you know that?”

Kuroo hummed to himself, sounding distracted. “You're not the first to tell me that, that's pretty much become Kenma's mantra whenever I'm around. That, and,” Kuroo's voice went monotone in what Daichi assumed was an impression of Kenma, “'You're an idiot, Kuro.'”

“I'll have to take notes from him, he seems to know how to keep you in your place.”

Daichi abruptly hung up, and laughed to himself at the string of texts coming from Kuroo, most of which were nothing but cat emojis and gibberish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think that's how flirting works, Kuroo.


	8. The Sawamura Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would Kuroo do without Kenma. Probably die of thirst.

“I swear he's trying to kill me. It's really going to happen one of these times, Kenma. I'm just going to burst into flames and die, and it'll all be his fault.” Tetsurou whined into his pillow, “I'd probably thank him for doing it too.”

Kenma hummed from the foot of Tetsurou's bed, and judging by the sounds coming from his psp, he didn't even have the decency to look up from his game.

“You could at least pretend to feel sorry for me.” Tetsurou mumbled.

“I would, but you brought this on yourself.”

Lurching up from his pillow, Tetsurou glared at his so-called best friend. “How is it _my_ fault?”

Kenma's eyebrow twitched in irritation as his character died. “You've been ranting and whining about his thighs and biceps - and I'm afraid to know what else – for the past three weeks, but instead of doing something about it you stalk his social media and come crying to me about how perfect he is.”

“He posted a shirtless post-workout selfie! _Shirtless!_ How am I supposed to react to that?”

“Probably in any way but the aggressive pining you're doing now.”

Pouting, Tetsurou replied, “That was a rhetorical question. Anyway, you have no idea how I feel! You've got a cute boyfriend that you can do cute boyfriend things with.”

“The reason I got a cute boyfriend is because I didn't have my head shoved up my a-”

“ _Language_.”

“-Up my ass, and actually managed to ask him out. What have you done so far?”

Tetsurou turned away, but he could still feel Kenma's pleased smirk aimed at him.

“Alright, you win! I'll stop crying to you about Sawamura's godly body. Happy?”

“That's all I ask.” Kenma replied with a snort.

Tetsurou dropped his head back onto his pillow with a muted thud. He laid there and pouted for some time, staring at the various items on his bedside table. A digital clock that showed the time as 3:26 PM, his keys with the key-chain that Kenma had given him as a present for his birthday a couple of years ago, a few scattered pens, a notepad, and a lamp. The lamp was an old one, probably bought from a second-hand store by his mom years ago. It's paint was chipping from years of use, and the lampshade was slightly dented.

Something about that lamp felt off. Tetsurou couldn't recall how it got dented, and for some reason that bothered him. He distinctly remembered it being fine not too long ago, so it had to have happened recently.

“What's that thing called – something to do with alternate universes and remembering things from them?” Looking over his shoulder and noticing Kenma's blank stare, Tetsurou continued, “You know, that thing where things get switched between alternate universes or something.”

“...Why?”

“I think my lamp broke the universe and now I have a different one that's dented.”

A long moment of silence followed.

“Okay, he's finally snapped.” Kenma murmured to himself as he went back to playing his game.

“Well what else could have done it?” Tetsurou poked Kenma with his foot, earning himself a pinch to the ankle. “ _Okay, okay – mercy!_ ”

Huffing out an exasperated sigh as he let go of Tetsurou's ankle, Kenma scrunched up his nose. “Kuro, you sleep like a madman, you probably hit it in your sleep or something.”

“But I would have noticed if I knocked it off my-”

Tetsurou cut himself off as he recalled cleaning up after his rut about a month ago. He remembered picking his lamp up off of the floor, so obviously it must have fallen. To have fallen it must have been knocked over... and Tetsurou had to have been the one to knock it over. During his rut.

Tetsurou gulped as heat flooded his face and memories of the days locked alone in his room resurfaced. Memories of sweaty skin and dirty bed sheets and endless fantasies of Sawamura.

_Shit, not even my lamp is safe from Sawamura, he's everywhere._

Clearing his throat, Tetsurou attempted to dispel the thoughts before Kenma noticed. However when he glanced Kenma's way he was met with a scrunched up nose and squinted, suspicious, eyes.

“You're making the face again.” Kenma grumbled, his distaste obvious.

Tetsurou squeaked, and forced a laugh that sounded fake even to himself. “Face? I don't make a face, what do you mean? Well, I mean- um, I make a lot of faces, you're going to have to be more specific.”

“You're making the Sawamura face.”

“Oh. I make a Sawamura face?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Feeling oddly flustered by that information, Tetsurou sighed and flopped onto his back to stare at the ceiling. The warm breeze coming from the open window mixed with the sounds of cicadas buzzing, birds chirping, and the quiet music coming from Kenma's game served as an adequate distraction from his inner turmoil. So much so that Tetsurou felt himself dozing off, but not before his brain supplied one last thought.

_I think I really like him._

\----------

Bright signs flickered above and cars' headlights sped past into the darkness as Tetsurou walked home. In his hands were two bags of groceries, both filled to the brim with food and other necessities. His mom had to work late, and would most likely be exhausted when she finally came home, so Tetsurou had offered to do the shopping like the perfect son he is.

Never mind the fact that his mom would laugh at him if he said that last part out loud.

A raindrop landed on Tetsurou's nose, prompting him to speed up to a jog. Knowing his luck it would start pouring any minute, and he still had a few blocks to go before he would reach his apartment building.

Luckily, Tetsurou reached the stoop of his building just as the rain went from small droplets to a downpour. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and pulled his keys from his pocket. As he unlocked his front door, his phone chirped with a message. Then another, and another.

Ignoring the annoying sounds, Tetsurou dropped the bags onto the kitchen counter and put away everything that could spoil or melt. Only then did he pull out his phone.

What he saw made his heart jump into his throat. All of the messages were from Sawamura; each one sounding more distressed than the last. Tetsurou couldn't make out much from the typos and gibberish, but he did see his name repeated several times, and the word help.

With trembling hands and a pounding heart, Tetsurou hit the call button, and waited for a response. A thousand different scenarios played through his head as he listened to the phone ring, and none of them were good.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sawamura picked up.

“Sawamura! Are you alright? What's wrong, a-are you hurt? Where are you? Who are you with?” Tetsurou stumbled over his own words in his rush to get them out, and had to force himself to stop and let Sawamura get a word in.

“Tetsurou.” Sawamura's voice was barely above a whisper, and he sounded like he was in pain.

“I'm here Sawamura- just tell me what's wrong.”

Sawamura let out a whimper, “Nn, 'm in...”

“You're what? I can't hear you.”

“I'm in h-heat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kenma doesn't get paid enough for this shit.


	9. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi has a problem, Kuroo has a solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cheesy sex jams play in the background*

Go for a run with Asahi, buy energy bars and water bottles, reapply his scent blocking gel, and find a decent burger to satisfy the craving he'd been having all week. That was what Daichi had planned for the day, and that was _all_ he would be doing. He needed to save up his energy if he didn't want to be as exhausted as his last heat. Granted, Daichi actually knew it was coming this time, and could prepare.

Daichi had felt oddly jittery for a week or so, and for the past few days his body had gradually been getting more and more sensitive. According to various medical websites, this was a sure sign of an approaching heat, and if the cramping in his abdomen was any indication, it would be any day now.

Tying his shoelaces, Daichi checked the time – 10:25 AM – Asahi would be here any minute. Just as he was standing, the doorbell rang.

Pulling the door open, Daichi found an awkwardly smiling Asahi.

“Sorry if I'm late, my dad needed my help around the house.”

Daichi chuckled to himself, “You're right on time, if anything you're early.”

At Asahi's obvious sigh of relief, Daichi grinned and punched Asahi's shoulder. “What, did you think I'd be mad or something?”

“Something like that.” Asahi laughed.

With that the two of them started their run. They decided to use an easier route this time due to Daichi's approaching heat – to the park, a few laps around the perimeter of the park, and finally back to Daichi's house.

“Want to come in for a while? You look like you could use some water.” Daichi snickered at the sweat dripping from Asahi.

Asahi deadpanned as he followed Daichi into the kitchen, “Sure, sure. You aren't much better off than me.”

Instead of replying, Daichi rested an ice cold glass against Asahi's neck.

Asahi yelped at the chill that ran through his body, swiping the glass from Daichi's hand and angrily chugging the water.

Sipping his own water, Daichi pulled out his phone. He opened the camera, and sliding in next to Asahi, he grinned.

“Say cheese!”

Asahi turned at just the right moment, and Daichi quickly tapped the shutter button.

“ _Daichiii_ , delete it! I'm all sweaty!” Asahi groaned.

“You're fine, I'm sweaty too remember?”

“I probably look like a mess.”

“You look fine.” Daichi rolled his eyes. To prove his point, he opened the picture he'd just taken. “See? You look great.”

Asahi just sighed and refilled his water.

Taking a closer look at the picture, Daichi felt his cheeks flush. He'd forgotten that he took his shirt off halfway through their run, and with sweat dotting along his chest and shoulders and a full-body flush from the summer heat, he looked kind of... _suggestive_.

Daichi posted it with the caption, “ _Just got done working out with Jesus!_ ” before he could second guess himself. It's not like the picture was _actually_ all that sexy.

As Daichi was about to ask Asahi if he wanted to play some video games, he felt his insides tighten and cramp, followed by a searing heat. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

“Daichi? Are you okay?!” Asahi crouched down next to Daichi.

“C-can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Can y-you go to the convenience store for me and get some protein bars and water? I-I think my – my heat's gonna start soon.” Daichi grimaced.

Asahi immediately shot up, panicking. After Daichi told him exactly what he needed and how much, Asahi practically sprinted out of the house and to the convenience store.

_I guess that burger's going to have to wait._

_\----------_

The heat was already starting to creep in when Asahi came crashing into the room with an armful of snacks and water bottles. Once he was sure Daichi would be okay, he left in the same way – panicky and terrified. Daichi would have laughed if he wasn't so out of it.

Unlike his last heat, Daichi didn't have anyone to help him this time. Nothing but his hands and the toy that Suga had gotten him as a (somewhat serious) joke. He had the feeling it was going to get a lot of use in the next couple of days.

To make matters worse he couldn't take suppressants – not even mild ones to make the heat easier. If suppressants were an option Daichi would have gladly taken them, but because he'd presented so late his doctor wanted him to stay off of them for the first year, “To avoid potential complications.” Whatever that meant.

“ _Fuck my life_.”

Daichi laid sprawled out on his bed, with only half of his body in his nest. He was still wearing his shorts, but he knew that wouldn't last long. Already he could feel beads of sweat gathering along his forehead, dripping down his temples. Everything was steadily getting hotter and more humid, like the air would suffocate him.

Meanwhile, inside his body the heat felt like waves - emanating from his belly and slowly flowing over the rest of his body. His fingers and toes tingled, and there was a strange buzzing sensation behind his eyes when he closed them. Daichi felt his muscles tighten and contract, and with an embarrassed sense of horror realized that slick was started to soak through his underwear.

Resigned to his fate, Daichi stripped his shorts and underwear off, exposing his body to the muggy air of his bedroom.

As the heat continued to boil under his skin, Daichi awkwardly grabbed at his already dripping cock and roughly jerked it. He didn't bother with technique or making it feel particularly great, he just needed to get off. _Now._

It became apparent, however, that it wouldn't be enough. His body needed more, _craved_ more. He needed to be filled with something if he wanted to come quickly.

Wetting two fingers with his slick, Daichi plunged them into himself. They entered easily - his muscles already relaxed - and before long he'd added a third finger.

With three fingers pumping inside of him and his other hand on his cock, it was mere seconds before Daichi was spilling over himself. His body tensed and curled in on itself, like a tightly wound spring, and all at once it was released.

Slowly melting back onto his bed, Daichi felt the heat take over his senses. His vision was becoming blurry, and it felt like he was in a very warm cloud. Or maybe he was just falling asleep.

\----------

_Large, calloused hands held Daichi down by his shoulders. Rough, yet gentle. One was digging into his left shoulder, pressing it into the mattress, while the other gripped the back of his neck, it's thumb rubbing soothing circles into the skin there._

_Daichi's face was pressed into his pillow, which was probably a good thing considering how much he was moaning. Drool and tears were soaking the pillow and smearing across his face, but he couldn't bring himself to care – not with the cock that was currently pounding in and out of him._

_Suddenly a muscular arm was wrapped around Daichi's chest, pulling him upright. His back pressed against the toned chest of the alpha behind him, and he could feel hot, sharp breaths against his ear._

_Daichi was so close. He needed a knot, and he needed it now. He tried to tell the alpha this, but the words wouldn't come out. He could only whimper and moan as he approached his orgasm._

_“Shh, I've got you. I'm gonna make you feel so good, don't worry.” The alpha groaned into Daichi's neck._

_He was almost there, just a little-_

Daichi woke up gasping for air. His body was trembling, his mind was mush, and his entire being felt like it was on fire.

Glancing to the window, he noticed it was dark out, he must have been asleep for a while.

Whining at the sudden loss of the alpha from his dream, Daichi reached for the toy Suga had gotten him. With trembling hands he pushed it in, but he still felt empty, like it would never be enough. He tried moving it, but his frustration only grew.

With tears of frustration streaking down his cheeks, Daichi blindly reached for his phone. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he needed to do something to make this go away. Anything would be better than this. Opening up the messenger, he attempted to type something out to whoever he was talking to last.

 

**[Daichi:] p lease**

**nedd ag yhev**

**cat do allon e**

 

Blinking through the tears, Daichi tried to make sense of the characters that made up the name of whoever he was texting. After a moment, he realized it was Kuroo.

 

**[Daichi:] kkurrro o**

**pples**

 

Another wave of heat caused Daichi to drop the phone in favor of pumping the toy deeper, trying to reach the places he needed it most. After trying unsuccessfully for a while, Daichi heard a strange buzzing sound. It took a few seconds, but Daichi soon realized that it was not, in fact, his brain making the noise, but his phone.

Several more seconds were spent attempting to hit the answer button. Raising the phone to his ear, Daichi heard Kuroo rambling on about something. He couldn't understand what he was saying, but his voice helped calm him nonetheless.

When he realised that Kuroo had stopped talking Daichi tried to find his own voice. “Kuroo.”

Daichi's head had cleared a bit from listening to Kuroo's voice, so he actually understood what Kuroo said next.

“I'm here Sawamura- just tell me what's wrong.”

Daichi's tongue felt like cotton as he tried to reply, it filled his mouth and made his words jumble together.

“You're what? I can't hear you.”

Swallowing, Daichi tried again, “I'm in h-heat.”

A long moment of silence.

“C-come again?”

Groaning, Daichi rolled to his side and hissed out, “ _Heat_ , I. Am in heat.”

A strange squeaking noise. “Oh. O-okay. No, wait, not okay. You're in _heat?!_ ”

“Y _esss_ , 'm in heat!” Daichi tried to sound angry, but it came out as more of a whimper.

Kuroo whispered, “Oh, _shit_ ,” and then more loudly, “Are- are you alone? Do you have anyone to help you?”

“N-nooo, 'm alone.”

“And you're safe? And at home?”

Daichi struggled to speak as more waves of heat crashed over him. “'m home.”

A heavy sigh of relief crackled through the receiver. “You scared me for a second.”

“K-Kuroo, please.” Daichi slurred.

Another squeak. “Right. Um, okay. Do- do you, uhh, need my help? Or...?”

Daichi let out a frustrated sob, “ _Please_.”

“Alright. I. I can do this. _I think_. Yeah, um. Do – do you have any toys? Or uhh, what do you usually do?”

Daichi tried to reply, but nothing more than a broken whine was possible at the moment.

“Right, duh, heat. Um... okay.” Kuroo cleared his throat, and after a few moments of silence continued in a slightly less shaky voice, “Sawamura, can you touch yourself for me? Pretend that it's me there with you, that's making you feel good.”

“I-I have a dil- _Ah!_ -do in m-me” Daichi trembled as he returned to pumping the toy.

A breathy curse came from the other line, and then, “Sawamura, l-listen to my voice, okay? I'll help you through this.”

“Mmkay.”

“Can - can you sit up? Or is that too much right now?”

Daichi fought against the sudden bout of dizziness as he sat up, and when he gave a sound of affirmation Kuroo continued.

“Okay. Okay, now I want you to ride your dildo. Imagine it's m- uh, an alpha. Just close your eyes and listen to me, and pretend I'm there with you. You're doing so good, Sawamura.”

Daichi did as he was told, and soon with the combination of Kuroo's words, his own hands, and the toy, Daichi was coming all over himself with an uninhibited moan. He slumped over, panting into the phone that he miraculously hadn't dropped.

As the fog in his head cleared ever so slightly, Daichi remembered Kuroo.

“Kuroo?”

“Y-You alright now?”

Daichi felt a sleepy smile spread over his face. “Mm. Thanks...”

“N-no problem at all!” Kuroo gave an awkward sounding laugh, “N-now umm, I need to uh. I need to go ch...” His voice trailed off at the end.

“Hmm?”

“Um! I just need to, um. Ch-change my... pants.”

Giggling sleepily, Daichi burrowed into his nest of blankets. “Mmkay.”

“Are you going to be alright?” The concern was evident in Kuroo's voice, and it made a strange feeling bubble up in Daichi's chest.

“Mmhmm.”

Kuroo sighed, “Okay, call me again if you need me?”

Feeling the warm cocoon of sleep engulfing him, Daichi sighed out something that he hoped was a decent reply. The last thing he heard as his vision faded to black was Kuroo's soft goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had way too much fun writing this lol  
> You can talk to me @raspbooby on tumblr


	10. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, Daichi never makes things easy for himself.

Fluffed pillows, a cozy nest of blankets, and the late afternoon sun peaking through the blinds. Everything felt warm and soft, so different from the desperate, sweltering heat that had consumed the past few days. Daichi burrowed deeper into the plush comfort of his nest, chasing the last remnants of sleep. No matter how hard he tried, however, the outside world came creeping into his comfortable bliss.

Daichi was slowly roused by the distant and foggy sounds of birds chirping from the tree outside his window. They sang a sweet song, one that reminded Daichi of crisp, early summer mornings and dew on grass as the world woke up. A slow, lazy song. One that Daichi could currently relate to. As he left the land of sleep further behind, Daichi became aware of more sounds. His mother's wind chimes in the garden, muffled voices coming from the tv downstairs, and nearby traffic.

The sunlight warmed Daichi's face, tinting his closed eyelids orange. His naked body was exposed, but the gentle heat kept him from covering up.

Daichi broke the silence in the room with a groan, unwilling to stir but aware that he had to eventually. He shifted, and with a grimace cracked his eyes open.

As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Daichi took in the damage he'd done during his heat. Several items of clothing on the ground, sheets that would definitely need changing, a few blankets and pillows haphazardly thrown around, and quite a few empty water bottles and wrappers. Not bad, considering.

Daichi rolled over so he was looking up at his ceiling. He heaved a sigh, collecting his thoughts and memories of what happened over the past four days. He couldn't remember much, other than a vague feeling of need and being sweaty, but he could recall bits and pieces.

He knew one thing for sure – he'd messed up.

Throwing his arms over his eyes, Daichi fought the urge to kick and scream and thrash around in frustration. Instead he laid there, perfectly still as he counted backwards from one-hundred. By the time he'd reached forty he was feeling marginally less like a toddler throwing a temper-tantrum, and once he reached zero he pulled his arms away from his face. He could do this; Daichi would handle this like an adult. He'd gotten himself into this mess, and he'd get himself out of it.

Glancing at his phone, Daichi grimaced. He could be an adult later, he needed to bathe and eat first.

\----------

Daichi had spent the rest of that day avoiding the inevitable. He'd showered, soaked in the tub until the water went cold, and ate enough food to feed a family of four. He cleaned his room, opened the windows to air the smell of his heat out, and talked with his parents for at least an hour. Before he knew it, it was already night, and Daichi couldn't do anything then – it'd be rude to call someone that late at night, Daichi reasoned with himself.

It continued on like that, the next day, and the next. Before he knew it a week had passed and summer break was over.

Nine days after his heat ended, Daichi's luck ran out.

It was early evening, Daichi had just gotten home from practice, and his phone began to vibrate with a call. On the caller ID screen was the last person Daichi wanted to hear from, and for a moment he contemplated ignoring it, but realized that Kuroo knew when their club activities ended, and he'd have no other valid excuse for not having his phone with him. Gritting his teeth, Daichi pressed answer.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Sawamura, um, how are you?” Kuroo sounded tense, but Daichi was sure that he didn't sound much better.

“I'm fine, you?”

“Good, I'm uh, good.”

A long moment of awkward silence followed.

Clearing his throat, Kuroo continued. “So, anyway, I called for a reason.”

Daichi felt himself inhale sharply, dreading what would come next.

“I-I mean... you remember what happened, right?”

This could be an out. Daichi was tempted to say, _no, he had no idea what Kuroo was talking about,_ but he felt guilty even at the thought of it. No, he had to tell the truth.

“Yeah... I remember, Kuroo.”

Kuroo cleared his throat again. “That was... pretty crazy, right?” A sharp, forced laugh, “It was... I don't know, it was...”

“A mistake.” Daichi sighed.

A long pause.

“Yeah. It was. It was a heat of the moment thing.” Kuroo continued with a halfhearted laugh, “Heh, _heat_.”

Daichi huffed out an awkward laugh, before sobering. “It – it would probably be best to forget that anything happened, right? Go back to normal?”

“Yeah, you're right. That'd be... for the best.”

Kuroo sounded strained, and Daichi felt the same, so they said goodnight, with promises to talk soon.

Flopping onto his bed, Daichi suddenly had the urge to burrow under the blankets and sleep for a few decades, until this mess was sorted out.

\----------

Daichi lasted three more days before he cracked and told Suga everything. Suga was spending the night, and the strange sense of security and seclusion of nighttime released the floodgates of Daichi's emotions.

“I don't know what to do, which is dumb because I always know what to do. I'm supposed to be the responsible one!” Daichi glared at the faint stars visible in the sky above them, as if they could give him a solution to his problems.

“Do you regret it?” Suga hummed thoughtfully.

Daichi paused, hesitating. “I don't know. It wasn't the worst thing that could have happened, but it's also not exactly the best thing that could have happened, either.”

Suga was silent for a moment, tapping his fingers along the shingles of Daichi's roof. “Well, how do you feel about him? I mean you have to be at least somewhat comfortable and trusting of him to be willing to do that with him, right?”

“I... I guess, but how I feel doesn't matter, it doesn't change the fact that it happened.”

“Well then, there's your answer. It happened, you can't make it _un-happen_ , so just try to go back to the way things were.”

At Daichi's sullen silence, Suga continued. “You and I are fine, and we did a lot more than a little phone sex,” Suga punctuated this with a playful jab with his elbow, grinning.

“But _Sugaaa_ , it wasn't this awkward with us, I can't even talk to him!”

Suga muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “ _Responsible one, my ass,_ ” and leaned his shoulder against Daichi's. “We're also a lot closer than you and Kuroo are, so of course it's going to be more awkward with him.”

Grumbling, Daichi relented. “You're probably right.”

“Probably? I _know_ I'm right.” Suga shifted, placing a hand over his heart and raised a challenging eyebrow.

Daichi snorted at Suga's dramatics, and suggested a horror movie marathon to clear their minds.

“If only Asahi were here, it's always a great horror movie when he starts panic-singing to calm himself down.” Suga giggled as they climbed down from the roof and into Daichi's bedroom window.

Daichi started the first movie, and soon found himself lost in the world of CGI monsters and bad choices made by protagonists.

Suga was right, he just needed to live his life, and things would work out for the best. Probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Kuroo


	11. Introspection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi does some soul searching.

As the days went on, Daichi found that going back to normal was simultaneously incredibly easy and incredibly difficult.

Daichi's relationship with Kuroo was as smooth as ever, after a few days of awkward and tense conversations. Kuroo made it easy; he never pushed things, never brought up what happened between them after that first – painfully embarrassing – phone call, and had even stopped jokingly flirting.

That was part of the problem. For some reason, Daichi missed it. He missed the innuendos, the dumb pick-up lines, and the over the top flirtatiousness that he'd come to enjoy over time. Every other part of their relationship was back to normal, he should be happy, but that one aspect was gone, and he missed it.

Daichi wasn't stupid, and he wasn't nearly as oblivious as Suga and Asahi were convinced he was. He knew there had to be a reason he'd become so invested in Kuroo's flirtations. Admittedly, he'd tried to rationalize it at first, but that didn't last long.

That was what brought Daichi to the library during his lunch break. He needed a quiet place to think and be introspective without interruptions. As he sat at one of the smaller tables tucked away in a corner of the room, he pulled some books and papers out to look like he was studying. He didn't need anyone trying to talk to him at the moment.

While attempting to look busy, Daichi let his mind wander. He thought of Kuroo, and the recent texts he'd sent Daichi that had made his heart flutter a concerning amount. He thought of the way Kuroo's voice had cracked when they had agreed to go back to normal, and of the way he sounded when he was murmuring in Daichi's ear, telling him how to touch himself and-

_Nope, not doing that, dangerous territory._

Daichi sighed, slumping over his books to hide his flushing cheeks. He knew that he had feelings of some sort for Kuroo, he just had to figure out what they were, and how to make them go away. Preferably as quickly as possible.

Like he said, Daichi wasn't stupid. He knew a lost cause when he saw one. If he'd ever had a chance with Kuroo it was long gone, if the way he'd been acting was any indication. Not that he would have had much of a chance to begin with. The irony of the situation was almost funny. When Daichi didn't have feelings for Kuroo, they flirted, when he did, they stopped. It was funny, but Daichi wasn't laughing.

Kuroo was probably grossed out when he saw – or rather, heard – what Daichi was like during his heat.

Feeling even more depressed, Daichi slumped further over the table and let out a frustrated groan.

After several minutes of self-pity, someone lightly tapped Daichi's shoulder, startling him. He shot up, nearly colliding with whoever was next to him.

Daichi and the mystery person tried to apologize at the same time, both of their words jumbling together in a flustered mess.

As he gathered his bearings and finally looked at the mystery person, Daichi recognized him as one of Asahi's classmates. Daichi had seen him quite a few times when he and Suga would meet Asahi at his classroom for lunch. Amari something or other.

From what Daichi had seen of him, he seemed to be pretty popular, one of the happy-go-lucky types that always had a group of friends around. He was a beta, quite attractive (in a boy-next-door sort of way), had a pretty face, and was probably on a sports team with how toned his arms were. Overall he'd be the exact definition of Daichi's type, but for some reason Daichi didn't feel even a spark of interest.

Realizing that he was staring, Daichi averted his eyes from the guy's steadily reddening face. The guy coughed, giving an awkward, shaky smile.

“Uh, sorry for scaring you. It's just that the bell is about to ring, and you looked like you were asleep. I didn't want you to miss the bell and be late for class.”

Daichi cleared his throat, “Ah, thank you. I'm sorry I nearly headbutted you.”

They both chuckled at that while Daichi put away his books. When Daichi stood to leave, he was startled once again to find that what's-his-name was still standing there.

“Did you need something else?” Daichi asked.

Daichi felt even more confused when the guy just stood there with a blank look on his face for a solid five seconds. Daichi tilted his head questioningly, and finally he responded.

“Oh, no, sorry heh. Anyway I'll see you around, Sawamura-san.”

“Yeah, I'll see you around, uh, Amari-san.”

The guy looked weirdly excited by this, but swiftly turned around to leave, so Daichi didn't think much of it. Daichi left a few moments after the guy did, and noticed him standing in the hallway with his friends. They were elbowing him and probably teasing him about something, considering the red tint to his cheeks. The two of them made eye contact as Daichi walked past, and Daichi offered him a small wave goodbye. It was enthusiastically returned, and as Daichi walked away he could hear laughter and jeering aimed at the guy behind him.

Daichi would never understand alphas and betas, they found the weirdest things to be funny.

\----------

**[Daichi:] asahi**

**asahi I know your there answer me**

 

**[Asahi:] *you're**

 

**[Daichi:] oh my god you little shit**

 

**[Asahi:] Sorry**

 

**[Daichi:] no your not**

 

**[Asahi:] I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that**

 

**[Daichi:] yeah yeah anyway I need your help**

 

**[Asahi:] ??**

 

**[Daichi:] I need your expert opinion**

**oh mighty asahi-sama**

**on how to unlike someone**

 

**[Asahi:] ...Do you mean actual feelings?**

**Or is this some kind of social media thing**

 

**[Daichi:] feelings**

 

**[Asahi:] I don't think that's how feelings work Daichi**

 

**[Daichi:] so i'm screwed**

 

**[Asahi:] Pretty much**

**Sorry :(**

 

**[Daichi:] yeah me too**

 

Daichi yelped as his phone slipped from his hands, colliding with his face. Not bothering to pick it back up or even move it, Daichi just laid there on his couch, embracing defeat.

“Oooh~ _Texting your boyfriend~?_ ”

Daichi grumbled at the childish voice coming from behind the couch. He lifted the phone up and peeked at his kid sister giggling next to him. She'd probably punch him if he called her that to her face though, and go on a rant about “ _Already being in middle school,_ ” and “ _Not being a little kid anymore_.” He regretted ever letting Suga influence her.

Snorting, Daichi grumbled, “No way, I'm pretty sure I'm the most single person in my grade.”

Natsuko just snickered in response. She hopped over the back of the couch, lifting Daichi's legs and sliding under them. Sneakily she stole the remote, switching the tv to a different channel.

“Hey, I was watching that!”

“Didn't look like it to me.” Natsuko stuck her tongue out, giggling at Daichi's glare.

Grimacing, Daichi resigned himself to watching whatever weird documentary his sister decided to watch this time. From the look of it, it was about parasites or something.

Daichi's phone chimed with a message, and it couldn't have come at a better time. He didn't need to see whatever it was that the doctor was about to extract from the patient.

 

**[Kuroo:] I saw this and thought of you**

 

Attached was an image of a large bird with several smaller birds standing on it, pulling at it's feathers, and overall annoying it. It was funny, and in no way romantic, but Daichi still felt his cheeks heat up a bit as he fought back a grin.

Daichi responded with an image of his own, a picture of a mother cat looking entirely fed up with her kittens that were hanging off of her.

 

**[Daichi:] and this is yaku-san.**

 

**[Kuroo:] I'll have you know I have never hung off of Yaku like that**

 

**[Daichi:] of course you haven't**

**because you're an absolute angel to him**

 

**[Kuroo:] He's too short for me to hang off of him**

 

**[Daichi:] saw that one coming**

 

Daichi hid his face in the crook of his elbow as he felt a grin split across his face. His face felt flushed, but not in the hot, uncomfortable, embarrassed way – it was a soft, bubbly feeling. Like he needed to laugh. Infatuation was a powerful thing.

“Are you _sure_ you don't have a boyfriend?”

There was an angry shout from Natsuko as Daichi aimed a kick at her thigh, using the distraction to steal back the remote. Revenge was sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, totally not oblivious. Good job Daichi, I'm proud of you.
> 
> This chapter was weirdly fun to write lol


	12. New Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this chapter, one of the downfalls of working with young kids during cold and flu season is they have no concept of keeping their germs to themselves.

Seasons passed; Summer turned to Autumn, and Autumn to Winter. Christmas came and went, having been a relatively uneventful day for Daichi. Suga had spent the day with Kageyama, and Asahi had recently gotten together with Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Ennoshita, so he obviously spent the day with them. Even Yui had gotten a girlfriend. It seemed like everyone around him was hopelessly in love and Daichi was sick of it. Therefore he had spent the day to himself. He bought a cake, watched cheesy dramas, and did everything in his power to avoid any couples for the day.

Despite the popular belief among his friends, Daichi wasn't bitter. He was fine – happy even – being single. He just hadn't needed several lovey-dovey relationships shoved in his face. There was only so much pda one man could take.

In the past months Daichi had learned more about himself than he would have thought possible. He learned to embrace both things that he liked about himself, as well as those that he didn't like about himself. For example, Daichi had come to embrace his own uniqueness, both in his body and personality. He'd learned to take no shit from anyone and love himself as he was, and how to remind himself of his own worth – both as an omega, and as a person in general. At the same time, Daichi had come to accept that while ordinarily he would face adversity head on, when it came to his own emotions and the things he wanted but couldn't have, he turned into a complete coward.

It was around October when Daichi had figured out just how deeply he felt about Kuroo, and with that revelation came something that Asahi called a, “Total Freakout.” Daichi had cut Kuroo out of his life completely. He avoided talking to or about him, even thinking about him. Needless to say that hadn't helped anyone. Luckily he'd managed to get himself together in time to be capable of wishing Kuroo a happy birthday.

Even after the “Total Freakout,” Daichi was still wary around Kuroo. He didn't initiate contact with him when he didn't need to, and avoided phone calls like the plague, so as to steer clear of accidentally letting something slip if he got too relaxed.

Daichi had avoided Kuroo altogether for the week of Christmas, due to the holiday's romantic connotations, before promptly returning back to normal – or as normal as they had been as of late – the day after the holiday. He probably should have felt more guilty for leaving Kuroo in the dark like that, but he'd rationalized with himself that his own self preservation had to come first.

Which brought him to the present day, New Years Eve. December 31st – Daichi's birthday.

It'd been a relatively quiet day. Daichi had gone out with Suga and Asahi for lunch; they went ice skating, and they'd given him their gifts (a braided leather bracelet from Asahi, and new knee pads from Suga) that he'd been afraid to open because they were in _public_ , and the last time Daichi had gotten a present from Suga it was a _dildo_.

They all had a great time, and when Daichi returned home he ate dinner and cake with his parents and sister, opened more gifts, and finally was able to return to his room to wait for the new year.

There was nothing quite like watching the final hours of the year slip away. It was a bittersweet, sentimental feeling. Like meeting with an old friend after a long time spent apart. You both reminisced about all of the good times you had together, while at the same time you knew you would never have them again. The experiences you would have together in the future could be better, or worse, than the memories you'd already shared, but you could never return to the past, could never relive those memories.

Daichi slumped down from where he sat at his windowsill, feeling oddly nostalgic. He thought back on everything that had happened that year, all of the things he'd experienced. The first years joining the club and the excitement they brought with them, Asahi and Noya re-joining, presenting as an omega, his first kiss, first heat, so many firsts. His first relationship, first breakup. Meeting Kuroo... His first love and heartbreak, simultaneously. Daichi had learned so much; he'd matured in ways he never expected. The pain, the joy, victories and painful losses, it was all worth it. He honestly wouldn't change a thing.

Pulling himself away from the window, Daichi walked over to his bed. He picked up his phone, smiling as he scrolled through the messages he'd received from friends and family. Exuberant well wishes from Hinata, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Yamaguchi, a simple “Happy Birthday” from Kageyama, and more from the rest of the team and several of his classmates. Touma had wished him a happy birthday and new year a few hours earlier, and even Yaku had wished him a happy birthday that morning.

Eyes widening, Daichi realized that there was a message he'd missed. It had apparently been sent at around two o'clock that afternoon. It was a simple message, but somehow fitting of it's sender.

 

 **[Kuroo:]** **Happy birthday, hope you have a good rest of your day**

**Oh and happy new year too**

 

Daichi felt his eyes mist over as he read over the messages, and he angrily scrubbed at them with his sleeve, feeling irritated at how mushy he was being.

“Damn, I'm turning into Asahi.”

 

**[Daichi:] thanks kuroo**

**happy new year :)**

 

The response was immediate, nearly causing Daichi to jump out of his skin.

 

**[Kuroo:] Did shrimpy give you your present?**

 

**[Daichi:] hinata?**

**what present??**

 

**[Kuroo:] I'll take that as a no ahah**

 

**[Daichi:] why would hinata give me a present?**

 

**[Kuroo:] it's from me**

**I didn't know your address so I uh**

**had Kenma send it to shrimpy's place**

**so that he could give it to you**

 

Daichi's heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach and his cheeks warmed – it made Daichi feel ridiculous. That something so simple could make him react this way was embarrassing, to say the least.

 

**[Daichi:] whats the present?**

 

**[Kuroo:] You have to wait and see!**

**If I told you it would ruin the surprise**

**Just**

**Tell me when you get it? Please?**

 

Daichi wanted to pester Kuroo about the present further, but relented and agreed. He and Kuroo chatted late into the night, and Daichi couldn't help but feel that he'd really been missing this – this closeness. It was nice, and he hoped it would last.

\----------

It was two days after New Years when Hinata finally managed to remember to bring Daichi his gift. He was apologetic, and he did get it to him _eventually_ , so Daichi forgave him.

The package was a box, roughly the size of a small shoebox. It was tied and taped in so many places that it took two knives and a pair of scissors for Daichi to get through, and once he did Daichi wasted no time in lifting the cover.

Immediately there was colorful tissue paper, and a lot of it. Apparently Kuroo was paranoid about the quality of care given to packages in the mail. After peeling the paper aside, Daichi found a book. Not just any book, but the exact book he'd been wanting for the past six months. Daichi was astounded; he could only remember telling Kuroo about it once, maybe twice, and yet here it was.

Lifting the book from it's brightly colored prison, Daichi lifted the front cover and found three pressed flowers, as well as a note written on the inside of the cover. It read:

 

 _Happy birthday Sawamura, here's to many more._ _♡ Tetsurou_

 

Daichi's breathing faltered, before quickly picking up speed. He whipped out his phone, pulling up Kuroo's contact.

 

**[Daichi:] so I got your present**

 

**[Kuroo:] Oh? What do you think?**

 

**[Daichi:] I love it, thank you kuroo**

**it was really great of you to get me this**

 

**[Kuroo:] Aww you're gonna make me blush**

 

**[Daichi:] how did you get peach blossoms?**

**it's the middle of winter**

 

**[Kuroo:] Ahh but a magician must never reveal his tricks!**

**...Our class went on a trip to some greenhouse and I stole them**

 

**[Daichi:] there's the real kuroo we all know and love**

 

**[Kuroo:] Aw Sawamura I had no idea you felt that way about me!**

 

**[Daichi:] oh shut up you knw what I meant**

 

Daichi felt himself flushing once again, to the point that he was sure steam was coming from his ears. This was exactly why he knew he couldn't relax around Kuroo, and yet he did it anyway.

Still, Daichi found himself stroking the velvety pressed petals of the peach blossoms, a smile fighting to shine through. He'd never been one for symbolism and the meanings of flowers, but Kuroo made him want to learn. He wanted to learn about so many things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peach blossoms – I am your captive, fascinating personality, sweet yet intense love


	13. Graduation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my original notes for this story I had planned to include nationals, but honestly I'm too scared to because no matter the outcome I'm gonna cry.

“I can't believe we're finally here.” Asahi sighed as he leaned against the closed doors to the gym. “It doesn't feel like any time has passed, but here we are.”

“A lot's happened.” Suga agreed, nodding his head solemnly.

Asahi looked as if he was about to speak, but hesitated. Finally, after a long moment he asked, “...Do you have any regrets?”

Grunting as he pushed himself off the wall, Daichi turned on the other two. “Oh _come on_ , you two are acting like we're about to go off to war! It's _graduation_ , not the end of the world.”

“Yeah, but-”

“No 'but's, Asahi. Moping around isn't going to change the fact that this is happening, and it's not going to change what's already happened. The same goes for you, Suga.”

Suga snickered as he lifted his right hand to his forehead in a mock salute. “You're the boss, Captain.”

“Not anymore, I'm not.” Daichi snorted humorlessly.

The atmosphere became more subdued as the three of them looked out over the school grounds. Crowds of students, soon to be graduates, and family members were starting to form, with the occasional frazzled faculty member cutting through carrying last minute supplies. The trees in the area were growing their delicately vibrant spring leaves, bringing a sense of freshness and vitality to the crisp early spring air. A gentle breeze lulled them into a sense of calmness; amid the bustling energy of the world around them, it felt like the three of them were in their own little world.

Maybe Suga and Asahi were right. So much had happened, and yet it felt like it had been mere days since they were starry-eyed first years trying to find a place in their tiny part of the world. They'd won, they'd lost, and they'd probably cut ten years off their lives from stress alone.

“So many failures,” Daichi sighed dramatically, “So many horrible, painful, cripplingly depressing, excruciat-”

“Okay _, that's enough Daichi!_ ” Suga hissed, but he couldn't hide the laughter from his voice.

As the mood became considerably lighter, Asahi suggested they find their friends and classmates before the ceremony began.

\----------

There was roughly two hours before the start of the graduation ceremony, and while that would normally be more than enough time to meet up with his classmates before they were whisked off to their own personal celebrations, the rapidly growing crowds were proving to be a bigger problem than originally thought.

Suga leaned into Daichi, trying to speak above the noise of the crowds. “Do you think the younger club members are here?”

As Daichi was about to reply, a piercing voice boomed through the crowd.

“ASAHIIII!”

“There's Noya,” Asahi huffed, blushing under the glares of the people around him.

Nishinoya came trotting up to them as soon as he caught sight of Asahi, completely blind to the bewildered and irritated looks coming from the people he was elbowing past. Following closely behind him were Tanaka, Ennoshita, Hinata, Kageyama, and surprisingly, Kozume Kenma.

The third years greeted the newcomers, accepting congratulations and well-wishes. They chatted for a while, but Daichi felt his focus repeatedly slipping back to Nekoma's setter.

_Why was he here?_

_Well obviously he was dating Hinata, so he must have come here to see him._

_But why would he come to_ their _graduation, Hinata wasn't the one graduating._

_He's best friends with Kuroo, why wasn't he at Kuroo's graduation?_

_Was Kuroo here?_

Daichi jolted as Kenma's eyes flicked up to meet his. His stare was calculating, penetrating. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

“He's somewhere around here.” Kenma mumbled, breaking their eye contact to look around the school grounds.

Daichi paused, not understanding what he could possibly mean until, “Oh. Did I say that out loud?”

“Mmhm.”

“H-how much did I say?”

That calculating gaze was back on Daichi, only this time it was paired with a raised eyebrow. “You just asked if Kuro was here. Was there something else you wanted to ask?”

Feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, Daichi shook his head. “Nope, ah no. Nothing else.”

There was a hint of a smile as Kenma turned back to Hinata, gently chiding him for shouting. Daichi felt something tug at him when he saw how gentle and happy they looked together. Sighing, he looked away. Daichi knew from experience that that particular train of thought lead to nothing but bitterness and heartache.

Even after he looked away, Daichi still felt something tugging at him. Stiffening, he realized that something, or someone, was _literally_ tugging at him. Spinning around, Daichi came face to face with a familiar Cheshire-cat grin.

“Hey there Sawamura, how's it going?”

“Kuroo, uh, hi.” Daichi felt his mind going into overdrive. His cheeks flushed and his hands grew clammy. His stomach was turning and his senses were filled with that fresh mint scent he'd been missing since nationals.

“Had to come see all my little crows, you know? Haha, I uh, bet you're all excited to be graduating, right?”

Right. All of them. Daichi wasn't Kuroo's only friend here.

“Ah, yeah. It's pretty exciting.” Daichi tried for a convincing laugh, but it came out forced and stiff. “Uh, what about your graduation?”

Kuroo lifted an arm to rub at his neck sheepishly, and Daichi _definitely_ did not get distracted by the flexing of his biceps. Speaking of which, Daichi just now realized that this was the first time he'd seen Kuroo in regular, everyday clothes. He'd seen selfies, obviously, but never in person. Kuroo's style suited him, and he looked better than Daichi would ever admit. It wasn't until Kuroo cleared his throat that Daichi guiltily brought his attention back to Kuroo's face.

“Oh, um, my graduation was yesterday.”

“What?” Daichi felt his stomach drop, how could he not have known that? “Why didn't you tell me? I would have called you or something.”

“Ahh, well you know how it is, things get crazy, it must have just slipped my mind...” Kuroo trailed off.

The silence stretched on as neither of them seemed to know what to say next, and from the look on Kuroo's face he was experiencing the same awkwardness Daichi was. Glancing around, Daichi tried to find a distraction, anything would do. Unfortunately everyone else seemed to be completely ignoring them, and while they probably thought they were helping his nonexistent love life, Daichi really needed to get out of there, immediately.

Glancing back at Kuroo, Daichi saw him struggling for words. This only served to spike Daichi's own nervousness, and just when he was sure he was going to melt into a puddle of anxiousness, Daichi spotted a familiar face over Kuroo's shoulder.

“Ah! Shimizu!” Daichi turned to Kuroo, “Excuse me, I'll, uh, see you later.”

Not waiting for a response, Daichi jogged over to Kiyoko, and now that he was closer, he saw Yachi as well. They were holding hands, swinging them gently between themselves. Daichi would have felt guilty for disturbing their moment, if his only other option wasn't the suffocating atmosphere back there.

“Shimizu, Yachi-san.” Daichi greeted the pair, and he exchanged congratulations and future plans for a while with Kiyoko - Yachi occasionally piping in with praise for Kiyoko or details to add to a story one of them was telling.

Daichi chanced a look back at his original group, and was relieved to find that Kuroo was busy pestering Hinata about something – most likely his height, if the jumping and yelling were anything to go by.

Daichi excused himself from the girls when he was called over by a few of his classmates.

The rest of the time left before the ceremony was scheduled to begin was spent being carted off by various friends and acquaintances. Daichi found himself thankful for it; the more random classmates that wanted to talk and reminisce with him, the more excuses he had not to be alone with Kuroo.

Daichi wished he could have had a chance to breathe before he was being dragged off again, this time by Asahi and Suga.

“You ready to get this over with?” Suga grinned reassuringly as he pulled the other two toward the final moment of their high school lives.

\----------

After what felt like an eternity, the ceremony was finally over. There were speeches, songs, more speeches, and finally it was done.

The crowds were starting to disperse, due to most people wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Daichi's parents handed him a bouquet, and while Natsuko looked bored out of her mind, she gave him a “congratulatory high five.”

Daichi found his teammates one last time, now with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima joining them as well. He said his thank you's and goodbyes, promised to meet up later for one last team meal of meat buns, took some pictures, and did his best to get Tanaka to stop crying. He had no idea where Kuroo had gone, but at the moment he frankly didn't have the time to care.

As he was making his way back to his family, Daichi was stopped with a tap on the shoulder. Experiencing an intense sense of  déjà vu, he turned to look at the person behind him.

“Amari-san?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact I've been to other people's graduations but I never attended mine lol
> 
> You can talk to me @raspbooby on tumblr


	14. WTF Kuroo 2.0

His plan was foolproof - all Tetsurou had to do was tag along with Kenma when he went to Karasuno, be smooth as fuck, and sweep Sawamura off his feet.

Thinking back on it, maybe his plan was more along the lines of incredibly stupid, rather than foolproof. Tetsurou had conveniently forgotten just how much Sawamura affected him, and to think that he could ever be even remotely smooth around him was just wishful thinking on his part.

Tetsurou had felt good, confident even, when they'd first arrived. Kenma had found the shorty, along with some others from Karasuno's volleyball team, and Tetsurou was on a mission to find Sawamura. He'd wandered the school grounds for a while, searching for that all too familiar face, when above the chatter of the crowds he heard Karasuno's libero screaming, “Asahi.” Recognizing the name as one of the third years, Tetsurou weaved through the crowds in hopes that he might get lucky. “ _In more ways than one_ ,” his brain oh-so-helpfully supplied.

He should have known better than to expect luck to ever be on his side, because the moment his eyes met Sawamura's, he was a goner. Tetsurou had stumbled over his words, fidgeted, went tomato red, and overall was as un-smooth as he could possibly be. It didn't help that Kenma kept giving Tetsurou knowing smirks after Sawamura had made his hasty escape from their awkward interaction.

When the ceremony was about to begin and he still hadn't managed to actually talk to Sawamura, Tetsurou was determined to track him down after it was done.

If only he could find him.

There was a sea of people, most of whom were leaving, and Tetsurou couldn't help but feel like he would get swept away in the current before he ever managed to find Sawamura. However, in a single second his luck seemed to turn around, as Tetsurou spotted the silvery hair of Karasuno's older setter. He was chatting with the now-former ace and a few other club members, but no Sawamura. Tetsurou was willing to bet that they knew where Sawamura was, though.

Thankful for being right for once, Tetsurou repeated the setter's words under his breath like a mantra.

“ _Somewhere around the garden, talking to a classmate, somewhere around the garden, talking to a classmate, garden, classmate, garden, classmate._ ”

Heart pounding from the combination of nerves and jogging, Tetsurou found what looked like the garden. He looked around, quickly picking up Sawamua's scent among the dozen or so people wandering around the garden area.

Attempting to make himself slightly more presentable, Tetsurou caught his breath and straightened his clothes. He followed the source of the scent, and soon found it to be around the corner of what looked like a small greenhouse.

Before Tetsurou could turn the corner, he heard someone speaking.

“-like you Sawamura-san. I have for a while. Would y-you go out with me?”

Heart stopping, Tetsurou held his breath and leaned closer in an attempt to hear Sawamura's response, despite every self-preservation instinct in him telling him to get out of there before he managed to break his own heart.

“Oh, _wow_ , um- wow. S-sorry this is just really sudden.” Tetsurou heard Sawamura let out a shaky laugh, before he continued, “Um, I- I'm sorry, Amari-san, but... I...”

“No need to say it! I should be the one apologizing, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I just thought, you know, graduation, it was now or never.”

This Amari guy sounded pained, and Tetsurou almost felt sorry for him, but the irrational possessive side of him felt a sick sort of pleasure from the exchange.

“But, um, Sawamura-san, is there _any_ way you could come to like me? Or is it... a lost cause?”

_Damn right it's a lost cause, go away and leave him alone-_

“Well, I mean, normally, I'd give it a shot-”

Tetsurou felt his blood run cold.

“-But, I kind of... like someone. It'll never work out with him, but I feel like it wouldn't be fair to you if I was thinking about someone else while dating you... right?”

Tetsurou felt sick. His hands were shaking, he was nauseous, and his head was swimming. Those words kept spinning around in his mind, _'he likes someone.'_

As quietly as he could with his shaking legs, Tetsurou slipped away. Once he was far enough away to not be detected, he took off running.

Everything blurred past as Tetsurou sprinted away from the garden. He probably got some strange looks from people, but at that moment he couldn't care less. He kept running until he caught sight of the front gate, where Kenma and the Karasuno team were waiting.

Slowing to a jog, Tetsurou attempted a confident smirk. Everyone seemed to buy it, luckily.

“Did you find him?” Sugawara asked.

Tetsurou flinched, but quickly reverted to his previous expression. “Ah, no, he must have gotten lost. I'll just talk to him later.”

“Alright, but he'd better hurry, we're getting meat buns and he's holding us up.”

The group chuckled, and Tetsurou tried to join in, but it sounded hollow and forced to his own ears. He glanced at Kenma, and found his eyes already on Tetsurou. They were intense as always, his usual neutral expression replaced with a look of concern.

_Of course Kenma noticed._

“Hey, sorry I'm late, someone wanted to talk.”

Tetsurou was surprised that he didn't scream when he heard Sawamura's voice coming from directly behind him. As it was, he jumped nearly three feet away and made a sound similar to a choking cat.

Sawamura's eyes were wide with surprise, eyebrows raised and mouth forming an 'O'. Tetsurou would have laughed if he didn't feel like he was just a moment away from melting into a puddle in his shoes.

Abruptly turning away, Tetsurou addressed the group. “So, meat buns?”

\----------

They were standing on the sidewalk outside of a small convenience store, apparently run by their coach or something. Tetsurou hadn't asked for the details, he was too busy dying inside while watching Sawamura nibble on a meat bun.

The sun was nearly set, casting long shadows and tinting their surroundings pink. The world seemed to be moving slowly; not many people were on the streets, and even fewer cars were on the road. It was so much more peaceful than Tokyo, and if the cherry blossoms were in bloom it would make for the perfect confession scenario.

Tetsurou strengthened his resolve, he had come here for a reason, and he'd be damned if he didn't follow through. Even though he would inevitably leave broken hearted, Tetsurou couldn't just leave things the way they were.

The rest of the team had finished up inside the store, and were slowly filing out onto the sidewalk.

_He had to do it._

Sawamura joined them, smiling.

_Just three words._

They were walking away.

_He needed to do it now._

Sawamura paused, looking back at Tetsurou.

_Now._

Swallowing his nerves, Tetsurou took a step forward and grabbed Sawamura's wrist. They both seemed equally shocked by this, but Tetsurou didn't let go. He wasn't sure if he could.

Taking in a trembling breath, Tetsurou asked, “Can, can I talk to you?”

Sawamura's eyebrows furrowed with concern, but he nodded.

Suddenly feeling much less inclined to speak near the entirety of Karasuno's volleyball team, Tetsurou pulled Sawamura into the nearest alley. The already dimming light was even less visible in there. For some reason that helped calm Tetsurou down.

“Uhh... Tetsurou? What ar-”

Tetsurou frantically placed a shaking hand on Sawamura's mouth, not hard enough to forcefully stop him from speaking, but just enough to get Tetsurou's point across. If he couldn't say what he needed to he wasn't sure he ever would.

“Uh, Sawamura. Um, I-” Tetsurou was at a loss for words. He took a deep breath to collect himself, but was immediately accosted by a rapidly souring smell. It was Sawamura's scent, but it was quickly being overpowered by something else. It took a moment for him to place it, but once he did Tetsurou immediately dropped his hand from Sawamura's face.

Fear. Sawamura was afraid.

Tetsurou took two large steps away, heart hammering and stomach churning with disgust at himself. He tried to apologize, but was interrupted by several sets of footsteps reaching the alley.

“Hey! What are you doing to Daichi-san!?” The bald one was yelling, but Tetsurou could only focus on Sawamura's figure retreating out of the alley.

Tetsurou tried to follow, but was blocked by the ace with the beard, who was joined by several other members in seconds.

“P-please I need to-” Tetsurou tried to explain while pushing past them, but was cut off by the libero.

“We asked you a question! What were you trying to do, huh!?”

Tetsurou ignored them, finally managing to push past the human wall that had formed. He needed to explain to Sawamura, his heart was in his throat, choking Tetsurou with his own fear. He couldn't let Sawamura think he was trying to-

Tetsurou met Kenma's eyes at the edge of the crowd. His expression was nervous, and Tetsurou knew in that moment that if he didn't act fast Sawamura could be gone forever. He couldn't lose him.

Sawamura turned to look at Tetsurou. The world seemed to blur away as Tetsurou and Sawamura's eyes met. Clenching his eyes shut, Tetsurou did what he had to do.

“ _I'M SORRY BUT I REALLY LIKE YOU!_ ”

Tetsurou's heart was pounding in his ears, so it took him several seconds to realize that everyone had gone from angry chatter to radio silence. He slowly opened his eyes, and found everyone's eyes on him. He hadn't meant to shout that loud, had startled even himself.

Swallowing his pride, Tetsurou hesitantly met Sawamura's eyes. His face was completely blank. Tetsurou couldn't tell what he was thinking at all, and that terrified him. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, but couldn't have been longer than a few seconds.

It was too much. Tetsurou felt bile rise in his throat, causing his eyes to water and his face to flush. He couldn't do this, so Tetsurou did what he did best when it came to his own emotions.

He ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's still roughly 5 chapters left to this (at least), but would anyone be interested in seeing the side stories of Hinata/Kenma, Suga/Kageyama, and/or Asahi/Noya/Tanaka/Ennoshita? If not then I probably won't bother writing them, but if anyone's interested, tell me and I'll add them to a collection after this series is done


	15. Finally

Tetsurou had no idea where he was, or how long he'd been there. He'd first run to the only place he really knew of in Miyagi, Karasuno High School, and sat on the curb feeling sorry for himself for a few minutes. Tetsurou had almost let himself hope that Sawamura had followed him, and that in some twist of fate his feelings were reciprocated. After some time passed that seemed to be less and less likely. Finally, cursing himself out for getting his hopes up, Tetsurou had started walking. He'd wandered around for what must have been twenty minutes, until he finally found a spot to rest.

He was currently in a small park, hidden away in the shadows of the surrounding city. Tetsurou felt oddly at peace, surrounded by the trees and flowery shrubs. Finding a decent tree, Tetsurou leaned his weight against it, and promptly slid to his knees.

His hands were shaking like the leaves of the tree above him; all of the blood seemed to have left Tetsurou's arms, instead pooling in his feet and making him feel weak and lightheaded. He'd been running on pure adrenaline since that moment in the alley, and it felt like he was finally crashing.

Sighing to himself, Tetsurou knocked the back of his head against the tree, repeating a few times for good measure. He scrunched his face up, suddenly having to fight the urge to cry. He knew he was being ridiculous, and that he should just get on with his life instead of moping in some dimly lit park in an unfamiliar city that he'll probably be murdered in if-

“ _There you are!_ ”

If anyone asked Tetsurou, he did not scream. He didn't flail his arms around like a headless chicken, and if he _did_ scream - which he didn't - it definitely didn't sound like a little girl. It was deep and manly.

\----------

“I'm not gonna lie, that was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.”

“You surprised me, that's all.” Tetsurou pouted, curling into himself against his tree. At least his earlier embarrassment and pain were forgotten for the moment, in favor of a whole new level of embarrassment.

“You should have seen your face though, I wish I'd gotten it on camera.” Sawamura chuckled, tapping Tetsurou's hip with his foot from where he stood above him.

Tetsurou just huffed, and they were engulfed in silence. The atmosphere quickly became stifling and uncomfortable, with both of them remembering what had brought them to that park in the first place.

Tetsurou heard Sawamura shuffling next to him, but didn't look up. He kept his eyes resolutely ahead, even when Sawamura lowered himself to sit next to him. There was another long moment of deafening silence as Tetsurou stared straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge what he knew was coming.

After what felt like an eternity, Tetsurou broke. He glanced Sawamura's way, and found him looking as awkward as Tetsurou felt. His mouth was opening and closing, like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how. His face was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes, which were staring at his hands as they played with a loose string on his shirt. Sawamura's hands were trembling, much like Tetsurou's.

“You like me?”

Tetsurou's eyes shot back up to meet Sawamura's. He attempted to say something, but his tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth. Gulping and averting his eyes, Tetsurou settled for nodding his head.

“Really?”

Another nod.

“And you aren't messing with me... right?”

Finding his voice, Tetsurou responded as best as he could. “No.”

“W-well then. I guess I should give you an answer.” Sawamura sounded uncomfortable, and Tetsurou knew exactly what was coming next.

“Sawamura, please, I know, you don't need to say it.” Tetsurou couldn't stand it if he got the same response as that guy from earlier, and in that moment he actually felt sorry for the guy.

“You... knew? So why did you run?”

“Panic? Embarrassment? Incredible amounts of shame? Fear of the unknown? Take your pick.” Tetsurou laughed self-deprecatingly.

“Oh.” Sawamura sounded lost in thought. “So... um, can I kiss you?”

Tetsurou jolted back, smacking his head with a loud crack on the tree behind him. Sawamura looked worried, eyes wide with surprise, but Tetsurou hardly noticed the pain when all he could feel was swirling confusion.

“Wha- uh- wh-” Tetsurou gaped, unable to form any coherent thoughts. His erratic heartbeat sped up even faster when he saw Sawamura's cheeks flush a pretty pink.

“Too soon?” And fuck if Sawamura didn't sound _bashful_.

“Wh- huh, _what!? Why?_ ”

“Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought... Follow my finger.” Sawamura moved his pointer finger back and forth in front of Tetsurou's face.

Swatting the hands away, Tetsurou finally managed to collect his thoughts. “Why would you want to _kiss me_?”

“Because I like you?” It sounded more like a question than a statement, but it left Tetsurou speechless regardless. “Why are you acting so surprised, you said you already knew how I felt.”

“I didn't- you- I never- okay. Okay, just, give me a second.” Taking a few deep breaths that did very little to calm him down, Tetsurou continued, “So. You like me?”

“Yes.”

“You really, actually like me? Romantically?”

“Yes, yes.” Sawamura laughed.

“This isn't some kind of sick joke, right? People aren't going to jump out with cameras to laugh at me?”

“I can't help but feel like we've had this conversation before.” Sawamura giggled – fucking _giggled_ – before sobering slightly with, “No, Tetsurou, It's not a joke.”

Tetsurou let out a trembling sigh. “Oh. Okay.”

His heart rate was already dangerously fast, but the moment Tetsurou felt Sawamura press against his side, he was sure his heart was going to burst from his chest.

“So... can we kiss now?”

It felt like time had stopped. Tetsurou turned and stared, taking in everything he could in the dimming light. Sawamura's flushed cheeks, the way he had to tilt his head up ever so slightly to meet Tetsurou's eyes, his lips that looked so soft as his tongue swiped across them, everything.

Instead of a response, Tetsurou slowly leaned in, as Sawamura did the same. They were so close, their breaths intermingling, but were stopped by the awkward angle. They tried again, but their noses got in the way.

Letting out a frustrated huff, Sawamura swung a leg over Tetsurou's, so that he was straddling his lap. They both cautiously settled into the position. Sawamura rested his hands on Tetsurou's shoulders, while Tetsurou placed his much less steady hands on Sawamura's jaw and neck.

They sat there for a few moments, simply taking each other in, before slowly inching closer. When he could feel Sawamura's hot breath on his lips once more, Tetsurou leaned in to finally do what he'd wanted to for so long.

Sawamura's lips were soft and warm, still slightly damp from when he licked them. For a moment Tetsurou felt self-conscious about his own undoubtedly chapped and rough lips, but all thoughts quickly left his brain at the sensation of Sawamura pressing in further. There was a soft whimper, and Tetsurou was pretty sure it came from himself. They parted by mere millimeters, sighing and catching their breath, before pulling each other in like magnets once more. Tetsurou's hand on Sawamura's neck traveled to his hairline, playing with the baby hairs growing there and gently tugging whenever Sawamura did something especially good.

Despite the intensity, their kisses remained relatively chaste. Tetsurou had felt the occasional prod of Sawamura's tongue against his lips, but that was as far as things went. They spent a few minutes like this, making up for the time wasted until that moment, before parting with a barely audible sigh. Tetsurou's eyes fluttered open, and he was met with the incredible sight of a flustered Sawamura. His cheeks were flushed, eyes dilated and hooded, and his chest was heaving nearly as much as Tetsurou's.

“That...” Tetsurou gulped, attempting to clear his mind, “That was. Wow.”

“Yeah, wow.” Sawamura sighed, a soft, beautiful smile on his lips.

Tetsurou didn't care if he sounded eager, he needed to ask. “Can we do that aga-”

Sawamura didn't even let him finish before his lips were back on Tetsurou's. They kissed, and kissed, with the occasional nibble and moan interspersed, for what could have been hours, but felt like seconds.

Tetsurou pulled back with an embarrassing wet smacking noise. Sawamura tried to lean back in, and let out a whine when Tetsurou pushed him back.

“Why'd you stop?”

“Don't you think we should talk about this or something? Like, figure out where we stand before we get more, uh, _distracted_.” He sounded pained from having to separate from Sawamura for even a moment. Tetsurou wanted to kiss the pout off of Sawamura's lips, but he stayed strong.

“Why do you have to be the voice of reason... but I suppose you're right.”

So they talked. Sawamura in Tetsurou's lap, they talked and talked and talked. They decided to give “boyfriends” a try, and that they had both been incredibly dumb to wait this long. They discussed future plans, how they would handle college life, and the anxious excitement that came with it all. They would both be in Tokyo, although at different universities, so at least they wouldn't be long distance for too long; and they even agreed to try to find apartments that were at least somewhat close to each other.

Tetsurou had felt something nagging at the back of his mind for the past hour or so of talking, but it wasn't until a lull in their conversation that he was able to put it into words.

“How did you find me? I mean this isn't exactly the first place I'd look for someone.”

“Well you didn't make it easy,” Sawamura snickered, “First I went to the school because that was the obvious choice, but you weren't there and you weren't answering my texts so I just wandered around until I found your scent.”

“Oh.”

“It's actually kind of ironic, I come to this park all the time. It's even prettier during the day.” Sawamura smiled in that way of his, that made Tetsurou's knees feel weak and his breath catch.

Suddenly Sawamura slid off of Tetsurou, but before he could protest, Sawamura pointed to Tetsurou's front pocket.

“You should probably check that, it's been vibrating on and off under my butt for the past ten minutes.”

Wiggling his eyebrows, Tetsurou couldn't stop himself from making a comment about Sawamura enjoying it. When all he got in return was a raised eyebrow and a snort, he pulled his phone from his pocket.

Tetsurou was met with five messages from Kenma, and three from his mom, aside from the two from Sawamura. He checked the ones from Kenma first.

“Oh my god.”

“What? What's wrong?”

Tetsurou read over the most recent message again, just to be sure he wasn't reading it wrong, and then checked the time on his phone. 11:19 PM. _Shit._

 

**[Kenma:] I'm assuming you're either in a ditch somewhere**

**Or sawamura-san found you and you're making out**

**Either way, do you need a place to stay the night**

 

“ _Um_. Funny story,” Tetsurou tried for a casual and not at all panicked laugh, but failed miserably. “I kind of missed the last train out of here. Kenma planned from the beginning to stay at shorty's house, but I was gonna go back to Tokyo after, I uh, confessed.”

“Oh, so do you have a place to stay?”

“Nope.” Tetsurou sighed.

“Right. Um, you could stay with me?” Sawamura's voice pitched up at the end, making the last syllable come out as a squeak.

“A-are you sure? I mean don't you think it's still a little early for us to-”

“ _Not like that!_ ” Sawamura hissed, but his rapidly flushing face took away from the effect. “I just meant you could stay at my house for the night, Together, but separately. You know.”

Relief flooded through Tetsurou, but he hid it with a laugh. “Right, right. But are you sure it's okay? You're family won't freak out about some random alpha staying the night?”

“It'll be fine, I'm sure.”

“Alright, if you say so. Let me just tell Kenma and my mom what's happening and that I'm not dead.”

Standing up, Sawamura stretched and pulled out his own phone, presumably to do the same.

After a very embarrassing conversation with his mother about the use of contraceptives, Tetsurou stood up as well.

“Okay Sawamura, lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cue the collective sighs of relief


	16. Sleepover

Daichi felt like dancing, or maybe singing; something to properly express the sheer amount of affection and joy he was currently overflowing with. He and Kuroo were walking back to Daichi's house, hands clasped together and swinging slightly between them. Their palms were growing sweaty and Kuroo was holding on a little too tight, but Daichi didn't care. That's how happy he was.

They continued chatting as they slowly made their way to Daichi's neighborhood. They talked about everything and nothing; Daichi's insecurities, how stupid they were with their pining, the weather, and Kuroo's need for thousands of kisses to make up for lost time. The latter lead to Daichi being pinned against a lamp-post, and Kuroo starting his thousand kiss plan.

Heart fluttering, Daichi enthusiastically responded to the kisses, and things quickly got hotter and heavier. Kuroo's tongue licking at Daichi's lower lip; a few muffled moans; Daichi wrapping his arms around Kuroo's neck and pulling him closer, their limbs tangling until they could hardly tell who they belonged to. Daichi bit at Kuroo's lower lip, and felt himself swell with pride when it made Kuroo groan. In retaliation, Kuroo pulled away, only to lower his face to Daichi's jaw. He nibbled and licked at Daichi's pulse point, grinning at the sounds being pulled from him.

Daichi playfully slapped Kuroo's shoulder, giggling breathlessly between moans at the soft ticklish sensation of Kuroo's lips. He tried to pull him back up so they could continue their previous ministrations, but was interrupted by gravity.

“Kur- _woah!_ ” Daichi squeaked as he slid off the narrow light-post. Due to Kuroo being attached to Daichi's neck and therefore unprepared to catch them both, he fell as well, and landed in Daichi's lap.

They groaned in pain, sitting up and checking for bruises or scrapes. When none were found they took a moment to take in what had just happened. Daichi stared at Kuroo in shock for roughly ten seconds, before they both cracked a grin, snickering at their own lack of common sense.

“We probably should've known better than to try to make out against a light-post.” Daichi laughed.

“Yeah, I tend to get pretty stupid around you. What's your excuse?” Kuroo poked at Daichi's chest, his lips stretched in a teasing grin.

“I think I just turn into an idiot around you too.” Daichi flushed slightly, his previous hearty laughter mellowing to breathy giggles.

“If we're having a 'Biggest Idiot' contest, I'm definitely gonna win. I mean, I honestly thought it'd be a good idea to pull you into a dark alley while covering your mouth.” Kuroo's grin turned sheepish, and Daichi was sure that if Kuroo had animal ears they'd be pulled back against his head in remorse.

“Yeah that wasn't your smartest moment.”

Kuroo flushed, causing Daichi's breath to catch in his throat. “Sorry about that, by the way. I hadn't planned to freak you out, I just kind of panicked.”

Daichi leaned up to peck Kuroo on the lips, and with a smile that he hoped was reassuring, replied, “It's fine, you didn't actually scare me all that much. I was mainly confused and really shocked.” When Kuroo still looked like a kicked puppy, Daichi sighed. “We should probably hurry back to my house, my parents are probably already planning where to hide my body after they kill me for being out so late.”

Kuroo's adams apple bobbed as he gulped. “Right. Your house. Yeah. You're _sure_ they won't freak out?”

“ _Yes_ , I'm sure, you big baby. It'll be fine.” Daichi laughed, sliding out from under Kuroo and standing up.

Pulling Kuroo up by the hand, Daichi lead the way. They walked for a while longer, until the brighter lights of the commercial district made way to the familiar residential district of Daichi's neighborhood. It was eerily quite, due to the late hour. The only sound was the breeze gently rustling through the branches of the trees lining the street.

“Here we are.” Daichi turned to Kuroo, smiling as they walked up a stone pathway to the front door.

Daichi reached for the door handle, stopping halfway to glance back at Kuroo. He looked pale, and his lips were pursed in a tight line. When Kuroo met Daichi's eyes he smiled, but it was tight and uncomfortable. Kuroo nodded toward the door, signaling Daichi to open it.

Kuroo was growing increasingly pale, so Daichi hurried to unlock the door before he could pass out. He pulled on the handle, swinging it open.

“I'm home- ah!”

A blur of white ran past Daichi, crashing into Kuroo with a loud thud. He turned, and found Kuroo sprawled on the ground, his face being mercilessly licked by a large bull terrier.

“Mao! Down!”

The family dog sat down at Daichi's command, finally letting Kuroo free.

“Are you okay? She gets a little excited around new people.” Daichi crouched next to Kuroo, pulling him up from the ground as Kuroo wiped away the drool.

“Ah, yeah I'm fine. Just surprised.”

“Daichi? Is that you?”

“My mom.” Daichi clarified, when he saw the questioning look on Kuroo's face.

Kuroo nodded silently, his previously pale complexion returning full force.

As Daichi and Kuroo stood up, two shadows appeared in the light of the doorway.

“There you are, we've been worried sick! Do you realize how late it is? You don't come home, suddenly tell us that you're staying out with some boy, and then don't bother coming home until after midnight? What's gotten into you?”

Daichi grinned sheepishly at his mom's lecture, nodding and apologizing when necessary. When it seemed she was done for the moment and wanted him to explain, Daichi shuffled his feet, and turned to acknowledge Kuroo.

“Mom, Dad, this is, uh, Kuroo. He's the one I told you about.” Daichi linked hands with Kuroo – whether to reassure Kuroo or himself he wasn't sure – and pulled him closer into the light.

Daichi's parents' faces were carefully blank, gazes flicking from their joined hands to Kuroo's face to each other. It took several long, silent moments for them to process what was going on, but when they did it was like a switch was flipped.

“Oh! You're Kuroo! Daichi's told us so much about you. Come, come inside! Mao, you too.” Daichi's mom bustled around, ushering the boys inside. “Daichi, won't you help me pull the spare futon into the guest room?”

“Huh? Wouldn't it be easier to just pull it into my room? It's closer.” Daichi asked as he followed his mom up the stairs to the bedrooms.

“Daichi, dear, you're not sleeping in the same room as him. Both of your pants are staying _on_ for the entire time he's here, got it?”

Daichi spluttered, face heating up as he glanced back down the stairs at Kuroo. “Wh- _Mom_! We just got together, we're not going to _do anything_!”

“I was a teenager too once, and I don't believe that for a second.”

“ _Oh_ , ew, no- too much information.” Daichi groaned as he pulled the futon out of the closet, half dragging it into the guest room.

When everything was set up, Daichi's mom placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, smiling sweetly.

“Remember, _pants on,_ separate rooms. I'm too young to be a grandmother.”

“ _Mom!_ ” Daichi huffed, rushing out of the room with his face burning from embarrassment. He hurried down the stairs to the entryway, where his dad and Kuroo were chatting - and by Kuroo's red face and overall flustered demeanor, Daichi had to save him immediately.

As he got closer, Daichi overheard his dad saying, “So how do you feel about being mates? Obviously you're not even close to being bonded, but surely being mates is in the future? We need to know that you're willing to commit.”

“Uh-”

“But then again, it's better to not rush into that sort of thing. Especially with Daichi not being on birth control. He won't be able to go on blockers for a few months yet, either. How do you feel about children?”

“Um-”

“ _Okay,_ that's enough! We're going to get ready for bed!” Daichi yelped, pulling Kuroo away by the arm. As soon as they were far enough away, Daichi slumped, sighing, “Sorry about him, he get's chatty when he's uncomfortable.”

“No, no it's um, fine.” Kuroo nervously chuckled.

“Yeah, well, that was only a little humiliating. I suppose it could have been worse.”

They both laughed breathlessly at that. They stood at the top of the stairs for a few more moments, letting the embarrassment and nerves fade, before deciding to actually get ready for bed.

\----------

Daichi couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours, listening to the rest of the house grow silent as everyone else turned in for the night. He spent another hour listening to the house settle, and the occasional rustle in the tree outside his window, but still sleep evaded him. Daichi blamed it on the excitement of the day; so many things had happened, and he was so keyed up that he couldn't possibly sleep.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Daichi gave up trying. He carefully slipped out of bed, slowly opened his door so it didn't squeak, and avoided the creaky floorboard in the hallway. He reached up to knock at the guest room's door, but decided not to so as to avoid waking his parents. Instead, he slowly turned the knob, and slipped inside.

Daichi took a few tentative steps into the dark and whispered, “Kuroo?”

“Yeah?” Kuroo sounded wide awake.

“I can't sleep.” Daichi took a few more careful steps into the room.

“Me neither.”

Daichi's foot bumped into the edge of the futon. “Can I... sleep with you? It might help calm me down.”

Instead of a verbal response, Kuroo lifted the covers from the futon, patting the space next to him. Daichi quickly yet silently slid in next to him, humming at the warmth radiating from inside the cocoon of blankets.

Kuroo wrapped an arm around Daichi with a soft sigh, and both of them sank deeper into the softness of the futon.

“Better?”

Daichi simply hummed in reply, tucking his face into Kuroo's neck.

After several minutes of comfortable silence, Daichi rubbed his foot against Kuroo's ankle, where his sleep pants were too short.

“Looks like my clothes are a little too small on you,” Daichi giggled.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kuroo joined in Daichi's sleepy giggles, both of them trying and failing to calm down and keep quiet.

“...Hey, Kuroo?”

“Hm?”

“Can... can I scent mark you?”

A strange squeaking noise escaped from Kuroo's throat, but he hastily nodded.

Daichi took in a trembling breath, nosing along Kuroo's collarbone. He planted feather-light kisses along Kuroo's neck as he slowly made his way up to his jaw. There, Daichi nibbled and kissed, lowering his head slightly to Kuroo's pulse point. Daichi made sure he was very thorough in his scenting – he wanted Kuroo to smell like him for as long as possible after he returned to Tokyo.

After several minutes of practically bathing in Kuroo's scent, Daichi requested that he return the favor, and Kuroo happily complied. The two held each other for a while longer, simply taking each other in, before being overtaken by sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me @ raspbooby.tumblr.com


	17. Bittersweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this chapter, I had some health issues that made writing nearly impossible

Daichi was jolted awake by the sound of pots clanging in the kitchen. He bolted upright, taking in the late morning sunlight streaming through the window, and immediately panicked.

“Kuroo! _Kuroo wake up!_ ” Daichi viciously shook Kuroo's sleeping body, “We overslept!”

At that, Kuroo jerked awake and flailed around for a moment. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he let out a confused grunting sound.

“I meant to sneak back to my room before my parents woke up, but there's no way I can get back without them noticing now!” Daichi was nearly in hysterics, still half asleep and disoriented. He ran his hands through his hair, no doubt making his already messy bedhead into something even more atrocious, but at the moment Daichi just couldn't bring himself to care.

Placing a steady hand on Daichi's shoulder, Kuroo attempted to speak through a yawn. “Does-” Another yawn. “Does it even matter? I mean we smell like each other so they'd know anyway.”

“...We what?”

Daichi let out a frustrated groan once he realized that, yes, Kuroo smells _very_ strongly of Daichi, and vice-versa. He slumped down, letting his head rest on Kuroo's shoulder in defeat.

“It'll be okay, Sawamura. Your knight in shining armor will protect you.”

Daichi snorted. He knew that Kuroo was just trying to lighten the mood, and it was irritating how well it was working.

Not lifting his head from Kuroo's shoulder, Daichi held back a grin and mumbled, “It's not me 'm worried about, you're the one they'll castrate.”

From where he was resting, Daichi could clearly hear Kuroo nervously swallow, and had to hold back a laugh at the way Kuroo wheezed out a shaky 'oh'.

“Don't worry, your knight in shining armor will protect you.” Daichi teased, finally lifting his head to look Kuroo in the eye.

“Will they actually-” Kuroo narrowed his eyes as he noticed Daichi's mischievous grin. “Oh. _Oh,_ you're _making fun of me_. You can't _do that_ Sawamura, I haven't had any caffeine yet. I can't handle early morning jokes at my expense. I'm sorry but those are the rules.” Kuroo folded his arms, petulantly turning his head to the side when Daichi started laughing.

“But you make it so easy,” Daichi snickered, pecking Kuroo on the cheek in apology. “But seriously we're both most likely going to die in roughly ten minutes, just to warn you. That or we'll get the sex talk, which is honestly probably worse.”

They sat in each others arms in silence, having already accepted their fates.

“I've been meaning to ask you...” Kuroo spoke up, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant, “Well, I meant to ask you last night but then the scenting happened and- right, um. Can I call you Daichi?”

Daichi's cheeks felt like they had burst into flames with how quickly they flushed. He glanced away from Kuroo's piercing gaze, took a moment to gather his scrambled thoughts, and resolutely regained eye contact.

“Only if I can call you Tetsurou.”

The name felt foreign on Daichi's tongue, but the way Kuroo – no, _Tetsurou's_ – eyes widened and mouth went slack made it more than worth it.

Tetsurou nodded hastily, seemingly struck speechless. A giant grin split his face, and Daichi knew that he was sporting an identical one. They held each other, heartbeats and breath syncing; everything was quiet, but Daichi knew it was just the calm before the storm.

“We should probably get this over with.” Daichi groaned as he pulled away from Tetsurou's warmth.

The duo stood up, attempted to make themselves a little more presentable, and cautiously made their way down the stairs.

Sitting on the couch near the foot of the stairs was Natsuko, with Mao in her lap. Obstacle number one. There was no way they would be able to sneak to the kitchen without her doing everything in her power to tease Daichi, and Daichi had already experienced more than enough embarrassment in the past 24 hours. Carefully – oh so carefully – he and Tetsurou crept down the stairs. Daichi hadn't even needed to explain what he was doing to Tetsurou, he just went along with it and stepped where Daichi stepped.

They were almost there, just a few more steps and they'd be at the foot of the stairs. Unfortunately, it was in that moment that Daichi's foot slipped. He caught himself before he could fall, but the noise he'd made had alerted both Mao and Natsuko to his presence.

Mao hopped off of Natsuko's lap and trotted over to Daichi, lazily licking at his hands. He gave her a pat on the head, and once satisfied, she ambled back to the couch.

With the distraction created by Mao gone, they were left in stifling silence. It felt like a horror movie; when the victim was hiding and waiting for their inevitable demise. Daichi chanced a peek at Natsuko, and immediately regretted it when they made eye contact.

With a teasing smirk, Natsuko started, “So, Daichi, is this the guy you've been-”

“ _Nosorrygottagobye!_ ” Daichi yelped as he grabbed Tetsurou's hand and ran to the kitchen, leaving behind a cackling Natsuko.

They stopped at the closed door to the kitchen to catch their breath and gather their thoughts before facing the potential wrath of Daichi's parents.

“Was that your sister?”

“Yes,” Daichi cleared his throat, “She's a bit of a pain.”

“It must be nice.” Tetsurou chuckled.

“What makes you say that?”

“Ah, well I don't have any siblings, you know? The closest thing to a sibling I have is Kenma and he's not quite as... lively. As your sister.”

“Oh, right.” Daichi hummed to himself. He could hardly remember what it was like before Natsuko was born, and couldn't imagine living in a house with only himself and one parent, like Tetsurou had.

Daichi's mother pulled him from his thoughts, as she called from inside the kitchen, “Daichi? Is that you? Don't just stand in the doorway.”

“Well, it was nice knowing you.” Daichi heard Tetsurou murmur beside him, and when he turned to look at him he found Tetsurou with his head down, as if he was talking to-

“Are you seriously talking to your dick?”

“I'm giving it a proper goodbye, just in case.”

“We didn't even do any- you know what, never mind. Let's just get this over with.” Daichi sighed as he pushed the kitchen door open.

At the stove was Daichi's mother, stirring something that smelled amazing as always. His father wasn't in the room at the moment, no doubt in the garden weeding like he always did on weekend mornings.

Daichi cleared his throat, trying to catch his mother's attention while at the same time shrinking into himself as if he wanted to disappear from view.

She turned, looked both Daichi and Tetsurou up and down, and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. Taking in a deep breath, they prepared for the worst, but all that came was a tired, yet amused, sigh.

“If you want to sneak around, at least be a little more quiet next time. You woke your father and I up with all of your giggling last night.”

Before Daichi could form a response, she placed both of her hands on Tetsurou's shoulders. With a deceptively sweet smile, she asked, “You didn't do anything inappropriate last night, right?”

Daichi noticed her grip steadily tighten on his shoulders until Tetsurou nodded frantically. Once she was satisfied, she let go, gave a genuine smile, and turned back to the stove.

“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes, why don't you boys go get dressed?”

\----------

It wasn't until he and Tetsurou were on their way to the train station that they were able to breathe a sigh of relief. They had survived, and for the most part Daichi was able to do damage control. Only three embarrassing stories from his childhood were told.

Unfortunately, with nothing left to distract them, they were left with the reality of the situation. Tetsurou was leaving. He'd be in Tokyo, while Daichi stayed here. Granted it wouldn't be for long, but it felt like forever when Daichi wanted nothing more than to be able to hold onto Tetsurou and never let go.

Tetsurou lightly swung their linked hands, humming to himself. Daichi was going to miss this. This slightly sweaty, fluttery, incredible feeling he got around Tetsurou.

Their walk was spent in silence, perhaps neither of them wanted to be the one to acknowledge what was about to come. Maybe they both needed to be able to simply hold on a little longer.

All too soon, the train station came into view. It was a blur to Daichi, and before he knew it Kuroo's train was pulling in. They kissed goodbye, lingering and unwilling to part. Groaning, Tetsurou pulled away, and with a hasty promise to call later, he was gone.


	18. Save Kuroo

Daichi felt like he was in a dream. It had been almost twelve minutes since Tetsurou's train had left, and yes he was absolutely counting the minutes. He had been sitting on a bench outside the station for ten of those minutes, staring blankly ahead, until he started getting weird looks from strangers.

Sighing in defeat, Daichi pulled out his phone and sent an urgent message to Asahi and Suga, demanding that they meet him at the park. Not bothering to wait for a response, he starting walking toward the all too familiar route.

Everything was a blur - much like his walk to the station with Tetsurou - but in a very different way. With Tetsurou it was like everything was speeding by; the feeling of sitting in a moving vehicle and trying to take in your surroundings as they whipped past. Whereas now, it was like he had weights on his feet. His surroundings felt hazy and sluggish, almost like a mirage on a road in mid-Summer. Daichi knew that he was moving, and that time was passing, but it didn't feel like it. It felt like time had stopped as soon as Tetsurou stepped foot on that train.

Daichi was snapped out of his thoughts as he nearly walked into a tree, having arrived at the park without even realizing it.

Sighing – _again_ – Daichi slumped against the tree.

“I thought we were past the dramatic sighing?” Daichi didn't even flinch when he heard Suga's voice right next to him, attesting to just how out of it he was.

“Just give me this, I've had a crazy day.” Daichi grunted, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the rough bark of the tree.

“Crazy day, huh? Don't you mean a crazy night?” Daichi didn't have to open his eyes to know that Suga was waggling his eyebrows.

Blindly swatting at Suga, Daichi couldn't hold back a laugh. He was about to retort, but was interrupted by Asahi joining them.

“I got your text, is everything alright? What's the emergency? How did last night go, is everything okay with Kuroo?”

Daichi's opened his eyes and snorted at Asahi's onslaught of panicked questions. He thought for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts, before deciding how to answer.

“We got together, which you really should have been able to guess, Asahi. I'd understand if Suga couldn't tell because he's a beta, but really? You're an alpha, Asahi, and Tet- _Kuroo_ and I were scenting practically all night.”

Daichi ignored the way his face heated up as he said this, instead focusing on the abashed expression Asahi was wearing. He also ignored Suga's soft smile, because he knew that he'd probably start crying if they got mushy and that was the last thing he needed at the moment.

“I-I just didn't want to, um, assume anything.” Asahi chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He lightened up then, smiling genuinely and continuing with, “But I'm glad you worked things out!”

Suga snickered, “Yeah, it was about time.”

Daichi tried to jab Suga with his elbow, but Suga dodged it easily. They all laughed, joking around and teasing.

After a few minutes of roughhousing, Daichi found himself feeling much more subdued. Everything had progressed so quickly, and with all of the excitement, he hadn't had a chance to really let all of the changes sink in.

“Daichi...?”

“ _Holy shit_.” Daichi ran his hands through his hair. “Holy. Shit.”

“Are you okay?” Suga sounded concerned.

“Kuroo and I are dating. We're dating. Kuroo- and I- we're _boyfriends_. How did that happen. I mean I know how it happened but- holy shit.”

“Yes, congratulations, you finally got the guy, Daichi. Make us proud and have some amazing sex. By the way, can I borrow your phone?”

Daichi laughed at Suga's word choice, absentmindedly handing his phone over after unlocking it.

“What, did your phone's battery die?” Asahi asked, peering over Suga's shoulder.

Suga just hummed noncommittally, tapping away at Daichi's phone.

Asahi turned back to Daichi, offering his congratulations as well. They talked while Suga messed around; Daichi told Asahi about his and Tetsurou's plans for college, Asahi talked about his plans, and both of them reminisced about various events in their high school lives.

Finally, it seemed that Suga was done, as he handed Daichi's phone back to him with an innocent smile. Not thinking much of it, Daichi pocketed his phone and joined in with Suga teasing Asahi.

It wasn't long and Asahi's stomach started to rumble, causing him to flush and Suga and Daichi to laugh at his expense. They all agreed to go out for a quick lunch before Suga would have to leave for a party at his aunt's house - that he definitely wasn't looking forward to.

“Do you think Ukai has alcohol that he'd let me smuggle out? I don't think I'll be able to survive listening to my grandpa rant about how horrible young people are without it.”

Daichi patted Suga's shoulder consolingly, promising to try to sneak some out from his parents.

“You see, this is why you're my favorite. Take notes, Asahi.”

\----------

Daichi was halfway home when his phone started exploding with messages. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the sudden onslaught of vibrations in his pocket, causing the little old lady at the flower shop to look at him like he was crazy.

Ducking his head and jogging away, Daichi pulled his phone out. After unlocking it he saw that he had fifteen messages, all from Tetsurou. He sounded terrified, and Daichi had no idea why. He scrolled up the messages, trying to make out what could have caused this, and suddenly it all made sense.

Above Tetsurou's messages, where Daichi's most recent message to him should have been, was instead a string of very... _creative_... threats made to Tetsurou.

At least Suga had made it clear that it wasn't Daichi that was sending them.

Daichi hastily calmed Tetsurou down, assuring him that Suga most likely would never do any of those things, and that it probably wasn't even possible to do that with a fork.

They continued texting well into the night, and in the morning Daichi woke up to a phone call from Tetsurou. He did _not_ swoon at Tetsurou's sheepish explanation of wanting to hear Daichi's voice, but he did let out a bit of a squeaking noise, much to Tetsurou's amusement.

\----------

Life went on, Daichi and Tetsurou called and texted as much as they could, Suga teased Daichi relentlessly, and the team got together to play whenever they could. University and adult life seemed so far away, and Daichi wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible – even if going to university meant he'd be closer to Tetsurou.

Which is exactly what brought Daichi to his current situation. He and Tetsurou had been dating for almost two months, and had only seen each other in person twice in that time. He'd planned it all perfectly, now all he had to do was surprise Tetsurou.

Pulling up Tetsurou's contact, Daichi hit the call button.

Tetsurou picked up on the third ring. “Daichi, hey, what's up?”

“Are you home?”

“Uhh, yes? Why?” He sounded so confused and suspicious that Daichi had to hold back his laughter.

“How about you open your front door and find out why?”

Daichi didn't hold back his laughter this time, as the sound of pounding footsteps could be heard over the phone. In record time, the front door was flung open, revealing a flustered and slightly sweaty Tetsurou.

“Daichi!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suga is the vodka aunt


	19. Honorary Son

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's nearly 5 am and I've had 3 hours of sleep in as many days send help

“I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming, I could have met you at the train station! It could have been so romantic, Daichi, but _no_ , you just had to ruin my plans for the perfect reunion.”

Tetsurou was sulking as he hung off of Daichi's shoulder. They were seated on the floor of Tetsurou's bedroom, backs propped up against his bed, with their legs tangled together in a sweaty heap.

“You really don't understand the concept of a surprise, do you?” Daichi teased, poking Tetsurou in the ribs. “ _I_ thought it was romantic. The look on your face was priceless.”

Daichi grinned as he said this, slipping his fingers between Tetsurou's. He lifted their joined hands to his mouth, and softly kissed Tetsurou's knuckles. One by one, as delicate as a butterfly's wings, he pressed kisses onto Tetsurou's hand, turning it over so the palm faced upward when he ran out of space on the back. From his palm to the creases and lines of his fingers, Daichi finished with one last feather-light peck to the pad of Tetsurou's thumb.

Daichi lifted his gaze when he heard a choking sound from up above, and was pleased to see a heavy flush covering Tetsurou's cheeks. His jaw had gone slack, causing his mouth to hang open; and his eyes were wide, with eyebrows pinched together. Daichi couldn't help but laugh at the shell-shocked expression Tetsurou was sporting.

“What's wrong?” Daichi tilted his head, attempting an innocent appearance as he barely held back a smirk.

“W- _What's wrong_? What's wrong you ask? I'll tell you _what's wrong_ , my boyfriend is pure evil hidden behind an adorable face.”

“You think I'm adorable?”

Tetsurou sputtered, but quickly regained his composure. “Of course I do, you're like, a bunny mixed with a badger.”

“You're ridiculous,” Daichi snickered. Leaning up ever so slightly, Daichi pressed a kiss to Tetsurou's cheek, and with a grin, asked, “So, I'm starving. Can we get lunch?”

“Well there goes the mood.”

\----------

Daichi planned to stay for four days, and he was going to make those four days last. He'd been at Tetsurou's for roughly six hours, and he and Tetsurou had barely left each other's sides. They ate together, talked, got snacks at a nearby convenience store, and watched a movie while cuddled together on the couch. It was during said movie that Tetsurou's mother came home from work.

“Daichi, my baby! How have you been? It's been so long, nearly a month since I last saw you?”

“Hello Kuroo-san,” Daichi wheezed as he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug by Tetsurou's mother. “I've been well, how was work?”

Daichi discreetly rubbed his sides when he was finally released from Kuroo-san's death grip. She was a short, stocky, alpha, at least a head shorter than her son, and she had the grip strength of a boa constrictor when it came to hugs. It was clear that Tetsurou took after his other parent when it came to his appearance, but he and his mother both shared that mischievous, calculating look in their eyes.

“Daichi, I told you, call me mom! ' _Kuroo-san_ ' sounds so stiff and formal.”

Chuckling, Daichi agreed. He had only met Kuroo-san once before, during his previous visit, and they had immediately bonded over teasing Tetsurou. Within a day of knowing her, it was like Daichi had acquired a second mom.

“Well, I'll leave you lovebirds to it. I'm gonna make dinner – and don't do anything gross on the couch, other people have to sit there too!” Kuroo-san called over her shoulder as she stepped into the kitchen.

Daichi followed close behind her. “Are you sure you don't need any help?” He didn't want to mention anything, but he could see the dark circles under her eyes, and her usually exuberant nature was much more subdued.

Kuroo-san just cooed, patting Daichi's cheek. “You're so sweet, I don't know how my idiot son ever managed to snag you.” Raising her voice, she continued, “Heaven knows Tetsu could learn a thing or two about manners from you!”

When all they received was a grunt from the other room, Kuroo-san none-too-gently ushered Daichi out of the kitchen.

“Go on, be a cutesy couple, dinner will be ready in a little while.”

Nodding, Daichi stumbled out of the kitchen and into Tetsurou's lap.

“Hey there,” Tetsurou purred in a way that he probably thought was seductive, but honestly just made Daichi giggle.

The two of them snuggled up to each other once more, getting lost in the movie and each other.

The movie was over by the time they were called to dinner, but if asked, Daichi wouldn't have been able to recall what it was about. He couldn't remember the main characters' names, or the plot; but he could recall in vivid detail the way Tetsurou's hands had distractedly drifted over Daichi's side as they leaned against each other. Or the way he sighed whenever Daichi's fingertips ghosted over Tetsurou's scent glands.

\----------

“G'night ma!”

“Goodnight Kuroo-s – _ah_ , I mean, um, m-mom.”

“'Night boys! Don't stay up too late!” Kuroo-san called from the couch, not looking away from the reality show that she was watching.

The door clicking shut was the only sound to be heard in Tetsurou's room. They stood there for a few moments, hardly even breathing, as if neither of them wanted to be the one to break the oppressive silence.

Finally, after a few long moments, Tetsurou cleared his throat. The sound of it seemed to break the spell, and they both relaxed.

“Ready for bed?” Tetsurou asked, but Daichi was already peeling the covers back.

Humming contentedly, Daichi scooted under the blankets. Tetsurou followed shortly after, and they both found themselves snickering at how little room they had in the twin sized bed. After a few minutes of situating and maneuvering, they managed to find a comfortable position. Tetsurou was on his back with his arm acting as a pillow for Daichi to lay on, while Daichi laid half on Tetsurou, half on the bed. They'd no doubt have numb limbs in the morning, but at the moment they were happy.

Not to mention, the current position meant that Daichi's head was in the crook of Tetsurou's neck, which meant he had an excuse to not look Tetsurou in the eyes when he finally managed to say what he needed to say.

Shifting ever so slightly, Daichi whispered, “Tetsurou? Are you awake?”

If Tetsurou was asleep, then Daichi could just pretend he never said anything, and wait until another time. A time when he was more prepared for the feeling of his heart trying to burst from his rib cage.

“Mm, yeah 'm awake.”

No such luck.

“There's something I want to tell you...”

This seemed to wake Tetsurou up the rest of the way; all drowsiness forgotten as he lifted his head. Daichi had no idea what kind of face he was making, as his own face was still hidden in Tetsurou's shoulder.

“What? Is it bad? Did I do something?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Daichi sighed, “I just wanted to ask you...”

“Ask me what?”

Daichi took a deep breath and lifted his head to look Tetsurou in the eye.

“I want to have sex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah Daichi, tell Kuroo when you're coming ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> you can talk to me at raspbooby.tumblr.com


	20. Fumbling

Tetsurou felt like his world had been turned upside down and set on fire.

“S-sex? Like, with you and me? Right now?!” Tetsurou's voice cracked as he said it, but he couldn't be bothered to feel embarrassed about that when he already felt like melting into the bed.

Daichi's shoulders shot up, and his nose scrunched up like it always did when he was embarrassed. “Not _right this second_!” Daichi huffed, “I just meant... you know. Maybe sometime? Possibly while I'm here?”

Gulping, Tetsurou attempted to gather his frantic thoughts. He took a deep breath, trying and failing to hide how shaky it sounded, and grasped Daichi's hands in between his own – no doubt sweaty – hands. He idly stroked his thumb over Daichi's wrist, feeling the rapid pulse there. Oddly enough, knowing that Daichi was just as nervous as him helped Tetsurou calm down. Maybe it had something to do with his alpha instincts, or maybe Daichi just had him wrapped around his finger.

On the outside, Daichi seemed as cool and collected as always; ever playing the role of the level-headed captain. However, Tetsurou had made a habit of mentally cataloging as many of Daichi's habits and mannerisms as possible, and therefore could see the chaos that lied just under the surface. For example: Daichi was currently glaring a hole over Tetsurou's shoulder, just like he always did when he was second-guessing something he said or did; his fingers were twitching to the rhythm of an unheard song, much like during a stressful match, or when he was concentrating on something that was particularly difficult; and his lips were pursed in a pout that was just begging to be kissed.

Tetsurou, not being one to resist temptation, did exactly that. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Daichi's lips, sighing when Daichi let out a surprised whimper. The kiss was short and sweet, and over all too soon.

“If,” Tetsurou cleared his throat, “If _you_ want to, we, uh, we can. I mean- not tonight. Because my, ah, my mom is awake right in the other room. But, uh...” Trailing off, Tetsurou studied Daichi's face. He was hoping for a grin, or maybe that sexy, dazed face he would make whenever their makeout sessions got a bit hotter than expected, but was surprised to find a disappointed frown marring Daichi's features.

“What's that look for?” Tetsurou chuckled nervously, poking Daichi's nose. “I know you had your heart set on getting in my pants tonight but do you really want my mom to overhear us getting it on?”

“Tetsurou.”

“A-and I don't think I even have any condoms, unless my mom has a stash of them – which, ew, okay I don't want to think about that.”

“Tetsurou.” Daichi repeated himself, cutting off Tetsurou's anxious babbling. “I'm not upset that you don't want to do it tonight, I just, I don't want you to do it with me just because _I_ want it. I need you to want me as much as I want you, so we can wait a while, it's fine.”

“No!”

“...No?” Daichi looked confused, so Tetsurou hurried to explain.

“I do want you, I want you really, _really_ badly, and I didn't mean that I'd only be doing it if you wanted to. I've actually wanted to do things with you for a long time. Like it's actually kind of sad how many times I've jerked off to you. Please shut me up oh my god.”

Daichi just giggled, pressing kisses all over Tetsurou's face. When he pulled away, he had that mischievous grin that only ever meant trouble.

“Who says, ' _do things_ ' at our age? What is this, junior high?”

Groaning, Tetsurou buried his face in Daichi's neck as he snickered.

\----------

It was eleven in the morning, and Tetsurou's mom had left for work an hour earlier. He was sure that she had caught on to what they had planned, what with how jittery and impatient he and Daichi were all morning, but luckily she didn't say anything. As soon as she left, Tetsurou ran -quite literally- to the pharmacy a few blocks over, and they wasted no time once he was back with the condoms.

“Are you sure you're ready for this?” Tetsurou knew his voice was shaking, but he had to ask.

Daichi grinned as he pressed ticklish kisses to Tetsurou's neck and slowly trailed his fingers along his collarbones. They were pressed into each other, with Daichi caged between Tetsurou's arms and the door to his bedroom.

Tetsurou groaned as Daichi sucked and nibbled at his jaw. He pulled away from Daichi and let out a whine at the genuine pain that came from having to separate himself from those heavenly lips for even a second.

“Dai-Daichi, wait, I need – need to know that you're really okay with this-”

In response, Daichi nipped at Tetsurou's lower lip. Tetsurou let out a growl at the feeling of Daichi smirking against his mouth, and promptly lifted Daichi up by the thighs, never once breaking their kiss, and carried him in the direction of what he hoped was his bed.

Apparently Tetsurou's room was suddenly much smaller, because his knees knocked into the edge of his bed much sooner than anticipated, and sent him and Daichi sprawling across the bed. They landed in a heap of tangled limbs and twisted sheets, but somehow managed to continue kissing uninterrupted.

Finally pulling away with a quiet pop, Daichi murmured, “Yes, Tetsurou, I'm sure I'm ready. I need you, right now.”

The next few minutes were a blur of expletives, wandering hands, and clothes being desperately pulled off. When they were both down to their underwear, Tetsurou sat up and admired the beautiful boy lying below him.

“Stop staring.” Daichi grumbled as his face flushed.

“I can't help it, you're so gorgeous.”

Releasing an embarrassed groan, Daichi swatted at Tetsurou's arm. They stayed like that for a few moments, letting the situation sink in.

“We're really going to have sex now.” Did Tetsurou say that out loud?

“Pfft- yeah, I guess we are.” Daichi was beaming as he said it, making Tetsurou's heart melt a little.

“Have you ever-” Tetsurou paused, gathering his scrambled thoughts. “U-um, how... How far have you gone before? Like, um, how experienced are you? Because I've never done anything like this before and I honestly have no idea how good I'll-”

Luckily, Daichi swooped in and saved Tetsurou from his nervous babbling. “I've... messed around a little, but I've never, you know.” Forming a circle with his pointer finger and thumb on one hand, Daichi repeatedly thrust his other pointer finger in and out of the circle.

“And you say _I_ act like a junior high student,” Tetsurou snickered. Thankfully the mood was much less tense thanks to Daichi's immature gesture, and they both found themselves giggling as they continued where they left off.

Heavy kissing turned to nibbling, which turned to sucking at Daichi's neck, leaving marks along his chest, and pulling gasps from him as Tetsurou bit and kissed his nipples.

“Please,” Daichi whined as Tetsurou trailed kisses down his stomach, “Please, Tetsu- ah! I need you.”

Tetsurou nodded silently, fumbling as he slowly slid Daichi's boxer-briefs down. Inch by agonizing inch they were pulled down, until they rested at Daichi's knees and he was fully on display.

“Woah,” Tetsurou let out a trembling sigh at the sight of Daichi's naked body. “You're beautiful.”

“J-just... just get on with it.” Daichi squeaked, face flushing even more under Tetsurou's awestruck gaze.

Words seemed to have left him, so Tetsurou just nodded once again. He carefully lifted Daichi's right leg so it was bent at the knee, giving him more room to work. With shaking hands, Tetsurou traced the lines of the muscles in Daichi's thigh, slowly sliding toward his goal until he reached the source of the slick coating his inner thighs.

Hesitantly swirling a finger around a few times, Tetsurou finally slid it in. It was warm, and wet, and he and Daichi both let out a groan at the feeling. If it already felt that good just having his finger inside, then Tetsurou was doomed once he actually managed to fuck Daichi.

After several minutes and two more fingers, Daichi had decided it was enough. It took another two minutes for him to convince Tetsurou he was ready, but they got there eventually.

“Are you really sure you want this?” Tetsurou asked, as he attempted to slide the condom onto his cock.

“Yes, yes! Tetsurou, how many times do I have to say this? I want it, do you?”

Tetsurou seemed to be having trouble with the condom, as his fingers were a bit too slippery. His heart was pounding, and his hands were shaking, but he gave an affirmative to Daichi's question, still trying and failing to put the condom on. When Daichi reached over to help, he swore his soul nearly left his body, along with something else that would have put an early end to their fun.

“R-right, um,” Tetsurou took a deep breath, “Just to warn you, I've never done this before.”

“I-”

Tetsurou cut Daichi off, “No, you don't understand – I, uh – I'm definitely not going to last long. Like at all. I'm honestly surprised I've lasted this long because this has been a lot of stimulation and I-”

Leaning up on his elbows, Daichi stopped Tetsurou's nervous rambling with a kiss. It lasted several seconds, and was surprisingly chaste considering Tetsurou was just a few short seconds from shoving his dick up Daichi's ass.

“Tetsurou, listen to me, it's fine. It's going to be great, it could last five seconds and I'd still love it. I've wanted this for so long.”

“O-okay, that's- that's good. Because that might actually be a really realistic idea of how long this will be lasting.”

“Just fuck me, Tetsu.” Daichi said with a lecherous grin.

“Will do.” Tetsurou squeaked, and he would normally feel embarrassed at how un-alpha-like he was acting, but right now he couldn't care less.

Slowly, carefully, Tetsurou slid into Daichi. The feeling was indescribable, it took his breath away, and if the sweet moans coming from Daichi were any indication, he was feeling the same.

They went slow, rocking into each other with short thrusts, holding each other close. Daichi was on his back, with Tetsurou laying above him, one forearm resting near Daichi's head, the other hand on Daichi's hip. Their faces were mere centimeters apart, their breaths mingling and lips connecting in dozens of soothing kisses as they brought each other closer to their release. Tetsurou definitely wasn't going to last, not with the way Daichi was looking at him, like he put the stars and the moon in the sky.

Tetsurou's thrusts were becoming erratic, his breathing was more like panting at that point, and he could hardly keep his eyes open from the pleasure.

“Dai-Daichi, I'm not gonna, I'm-”

“Me too, Tetsu, m-me t-”

Tetsurou lifted Daichi's hips, changing the angle and driving in deeper. He grabbed Daichi's cock and started stroking, and before long felt the familiar heat coursing through his groin. He'd have another twenty seconds, if he was lucky.

“Ahh, ah, s-so close, mn, _alpha!_ ”

Make that five seconds.

Tetsurou felt the pleasure crest, and with a chant of Daichi's name, he came. He rode his orgasm out until his whole body felt limp and sated. It wasn't until he heard a whimper that Kuroo snapped out of it and looked up at Daichi.

“S-sorry, I'll finish you off now.”

“It's fine,” Daichi murmured, turning away slightly, “I already, um, came. A little bit before you did actually.”

Well that would explain the sticky stuff all over Tetsurou's stomach.

Carefully pulling out, Tetsurou slid off the condom, tying it and dropping it into the trash with a gross plopping sound. The two cleaned up, cuddling together once they were done.

They curled together under Tetsurou's sheets. Daichi had fallen asleep a few minutes in, but Tetsurou fought it, if only to watch as the light bathed his omega's sleeping form in golden warmth for a little longer. He felt so elated to finally be able to say that, _his_ omega, and he was Daichi's alpha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter left! I'll still randomly update with random drabbles for KuroDai and other ships in this series, but as far as the main storyline goes, we've almost reached the end. I'll save all my sappy thank yous until the next chapter's notes lol 
> 
> Also I was really tempted to title this chapter "Oops! Premature Ejaculation" lmao


	21. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally come to a close.

Gentle warmth, strong arms wrapped around him, barely there kisses, breathy humming; this was what Daichi was met with as he was slowly pulled from sleep. His eyes fluttered open, squinting as he expected blinding sunlight, but instead found himself with an eyeful Tetsurou's naked chest.

“Good morning beautiful,” Tetsurou laughed, somehow knowing the exact moment Daichi woke up without even needing to see his face.

“Mmph, m'rning,” Daichi sighed, burrowing further into Tetsurou's chest.

“As sweet as this is, I should really get up. I've had to pee for almost twenty minutes now, and I recall promising you a breakfast fit for a king.”

Daichi huffed, burrowing even further until his face was pressed into Tetsurou's pectorals.

Sighing fondly at Daichi's daily morning routine of impersonating an octopus, Tetsurou bent over and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Five more minutes,” Daichi groaned.

Tetsurou's chest rumbled as he laughed. “Alright, but you have to let me go. Or do you not want our anniversary breakfast? I guess we could just skip to the more fun part of celebrating.” Daichi could feel Tetsurou smirking into his hair.

Pushing away slightly, Daichi rolled himself into a blanket burrito, facing away from Tetsurou. “Just go make my breakfast, _you heathen!_ ” As an afterthought, Daichi added, “We're going to need the energy for what I have planned later.”

Placing one more kiss on the back of Daichi's neck, Tetsurou stepped out of the room. Daichi was left with nothing but the muffled sounds of Tokyo's morning traffic and the air conditioning whirring.

Too quiet for Daichi's tastes, especially when he knew his mate was just in the other room, no doubt making a mess in the kitchen as he danced and sang along to whatever was on the radio.

Finally prying himself from the comfort of the bed and Tetsurou's scent, Daichi grabbed the nearest piece of clothing he could find. It was an old band shirt that used to be Tetsurou's but was stolen by Daichi shortly after they moved in together. It was faded and threadbare, and the design was almost completely worn off, but Daichi couldn't bring himself to throw it out.

Shaking off the oddly nostalgic mood, Daichi slipped the shirt on. It was a little long, reaching the middle of Daichi's thighs, but was slightly tight in the arms and chest. It didn't cover much, but with the unseasonable heatwave they were going through, Daichi couldn't bring himself to put anything else on. It's not like Tetsurou had never seen him half-naked before.

As he wandered out of the bedroom, Daichi was met with the mouthwatering aroma of breakfast combined with the fresh scent coming from his mate. He took a moment to let it engulf him, watching as Tetsurou shuffled to the beat of some catchy English pop song while flipping an omelet. The sun was shining through the kitchen window, bathing Tetsurou in golden light. No one should be able to look that beautiful while wearing obnoxiously pink boxers, but somehow Tetsurou managed to pull it off.

Daichi smiled to himself, pressing his hand to the scar on the side of his neck. He let out a content sigh as he watched Tetsurou and their puppy, Aoi, bounce around to the beat of the music, singing and howling along.

A raspy meow came from the floor near Daichi's feet, and he grinned as he scooped up the battered old tom-cat that had adopted Tetsurou.

Daichi stood in the shadow of the doorway and idly pet the cat for a few more moments as he allowed himself to reminisce. It had felt like yesterday when Tetsurou had blurted out his confession in front of the team; and now here they were, bonded, together for five years now, and living with their makeshift family in a decent neighborhood. His parents weren't nagging him about grandchildren yet, but Daichi was pretty sure that wasn't too far off either. His life seemed perfect, and he couldn't ask for more. All he had to do was cherish every moment he had with Tetsurou, and pretend that he hadn't accidentally stumbled upon the little black box hidden under the old sweaters in their closet.

Grinning to himself, Daichi set the cat down and stepped into the kitchen. He hugged Tetsurou from behind, and softly hummed along to whatever Tetsurou was singing.

Sometimes it felt like Daichi's life was too perfect, like if he blinked it would be gone. But when Tetsurou pressed back into Daichi's embrace and leaned in for a kiss, Daichi knew that this was his. This was the life he'd chosen, and he would be grateful for it until the end of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay wow, I didn't think I'd feel so emotional about this?? Like there were a few times that I literally wanted this story to just die in a fire, but now that it's over I actually feel kind of sad about it?
> 
> Anyway, blubbering aside lol, thank you all so so much for your support throughout this! It really makes me so happy whenever I hear that you enjoyed it, whether you've been reading it since I first started it or you just found it yesterday. Like I said in the last chapter's notes, I'll still add random drabbles to the series, but this is it for the main storyline. I'll post the side stories for the side pairings in this, and a few more KuroDai scenes that didn't make the cut for the main storyline.


End file.
